Soulgem
by nathinious the goon
Summary: adventure of a young lad wishing to be the 1 pokemon trainer in the world. it's hardly an original idea but i'll let my story speak for itself. it includes humor, drama, dark pasts and the journey on which we all must sojourn to discover ourselves.
1. The Break Before the Break

Prologue

Ding dong…ding dong chimed the cacophonous door bell.

"Oh, I'll answer the door sweetie. Just sit there and enjoy your television show." As if on cue, a young perky woman glides across a worn out patch of carpet to a small disheveled door and swiftly opens the entrance to her abode. Before the door reaches the midpoint in its semicircle, the lady is already addressing the visitor. "Hi Mr. Gladstone, how are you today?"

"I am doing great! How is life treating you Ms. Masolbull," the rambunctious mailman replied with a large smile.

"You know I can't complain too much, as long as my boy is happy, I'm happy." A contented sigh left her breast before she remembered why Mr. Gladstone was there for in the first place. "What do you have for me today?"

"Let me see what joyous tiding I may have for you. Look Ms. Masolbull, you've been accepted into the Quiet Cherubs Nightly Auction Group! And not to be outdone, the Bulgam Company offers to hook up a free interactive phone system if you sign up for their 'friendly and customer oriented'phone service."

The dainty woman's shoulders shook with laughter at Mr. Gladstone's daily amusements. "Only you can make something as dull as delivering the mail funny and entertaining," she said between the gasps and pig snorts.

"Oh no, not again," a prepubescent male voice complained. "Please Mr. Gladstone, don't make her laugh, it's so embarrassing. All the kids at my school already make fun of me for it; they go around calling my mom a sow and oink at me.

"Now Mike, don't be so hard on your mom. I'm sure if one of their moms had a big wart on her nose you would make fun of her too. Besides, it's nice to see your mom laugh like this at least once a day," the cordial elderly gentleman said with a knowing wink at Ms. Masolbull. "And besides, I have something here you might want," he continued holding out the word want.

"You really mean it's here, I have been waiting for it…"Before he could finish his statement, Mr. Gladstone and Ms. Masolbull finished the sentence for him. "Since you finished reading the last issue." The two adults couldn't help being charmed by the boy's enthusiasm as he raced to receive his favorite magazine, PokeWorld, from the man's outstretched hands.

"Quiz me mommy, quiz me!" Mike jumped up and down impatiently while waiting for his mom to tear off the plastic wrap around the magazine. She could never say no to her boy especially when his green eyes sparkled with enthusiasm.

"Well I better let you young uns get back to your business, seems like you already have things to do," Mr. Gladstone commented as he winked once again and walked away to the next house on his route. Ms. Masolbull waved good bye as she closed the door and turned to the page of the monthly Pokequiz.

"These are too easy for you Mike, I am sure you're going to know the answers even before I get the whole question out of my mouth."

"I don't care, ask me anyway," he eagerly replied as he sat crossed legged on the couch facing his mother.

"What are the only two Pokemon that can learn Hidden Machines and what is the move called?"

"You're right, these are easy. It is Goldeen and Seaking with Waterfall, amateurs."

"Well Mr. Smarty, let's see you get this one then. What level does Lugia learn Rain Dance?"

"Hmmmm, good one but you'll never stump the Pokequiz Master. It is level 55," he answered in a winey voice imitating a nerd. His mother just rolled her eyes as she retorted, "and what kind of PokeQuiz Master wears no shirt and has a hole in the crotch of his shorts?" When Mike returned his usual full fledged grin to declare his surrender, she asked the next question.

"What are the types that are consistenly paired with another type," she queried as she tried to appear unaffected by her son's ability to answer the hardest question on the quiz.

"Flying and steel. Well that is until they discover a Pokemon that is just a pure flying and steel and that joke of a question will become obsolete. And I don't care what those supposed experts say about dominant this or recessive that. It's a bunch of bruhaha if you ask me." She gave the sandy haired boy an incredulous look.

"Are you finished Dr. Masolbull with your thesis on the stability of recessive type Pokemon?" Mike became unusually sheepish as he nodded. "Do I even need to finish this quiz? I didn't think so, why don't you go clean your room for once."

"But mom, why do I have to," Mike whined, "I never see you cleaning your room and my show is coming on."

"Excuse me? I do most of the cleaning around the house, plus I feed you, buy you clothes and I even subscribe to that magazine despite the fact that I barely have the money to cover our bills," the ruffled mother retorted then became apologetic for raising her voice as she put her arm around her only child. "I'm sorry Mike, but you have to realize that you have a part to do in this house as well as I do. I know this isn't the greatest house in the world, and I know that I can not buy you everything your heart desires. But I am in every aspect of your life and want to be apart of every experience you're going through simply because I love you." A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she stroked the overgrown hair away from her boy's forehead. A long moment passed between them before Mike responded to his mom's words.

"I know you do a lot for me and that I have little to complain about, but there is only one thing I really want in life. I know without a doubt that if I ever became a Pokemon trainer, I would be the happiest kid in the multiverse."

"Son, I would do anything to make that dream come true, but we both know how much money that takes to put you through Pokemon school, to buy all the gadgets and gizmos, and to keep you well supplied through your adventure. I just do not make enough money to support something like that," she said as her voice broke as she began to cry. She pulled Mike even closer to her breast while she kept whispering repeatedly in his ear that she would do everything she could to make his dreams come true.

CHAPTER ONE

THE BREAK BEFORE THE BREAK

Mike could feel time stretching out its weary legs, slowing itself down in preparation for its yearly nap that came the week before summer break. The exact time to freedom was 9 days, 5 hours, 16 minutes and 32 seconds away. He idly watched the digits ever so slowly metamorphosize into the next largest numeral as the lecture droned on. If he was in any class but English composition, and if it was on any period but 8th, he might actually enjoy himself. But according to the curse that was placed on him at birth, clearly stated that all events and attributes in his life would be placed at the most inconvenient spots possible.

No sooner had the bell rang than Mike was at his locker relieving his aching trap muscles from the boulder hanging off his shoulders. He stretched out his arms and back to relieve the unnecessary pain that accompanies every 9th grader in his quest to carry the extra luggage prescribed by all the teachers. Mike checked his planner to see what homework and other duties that needed to be done by tomorrow. As he scanned the arduous tasks before him, he heard the familiar voice of his best friend hollering at him from the other side of the hall.

"Mike you gotta see this! PokeCorp has just released the information on the new PokeGear that will be coming out sometime this summer. It's so nifty, you have to see it," Isaac rapidly chattered. Mike snickered at his best friend's goofy grin and excitability.

"Alright, alright, gimme a second will ya? I got to figure out what I need to take home and what I can leave here. You know it would totally suck big bananas if I get home and then realize, I have the wrong books."

"Yes that would suck big bananas. But check this out," Isaac said quickly switching the subject and poking a picture of the new shimmering and shining Pokegear from a popular electronics junkie magazine. "It is going to have a phone that will be hooked up to a world wide network that will allow you to call anyone with a Pokegear, home and up to ten people for free. Plus it will have several specialized compartments that are each designed to hold things like Hyper Potions and Pokeballs. The Pokegear Deluxe will have a radio/clock and a computer with a built in Pokedex. It is the Pokemon trainer's dream come true!" Isaac exasperated as he nearly ran out of breath.

"Um yeah, that's great considering I'm starting tomorrow on my Pokemon journey," Mike retorted sarcastically as he shut his locker and began walking toward the exit.

"So again tell me why you're so worried about all this homework and special projects that are due tomorrow," Isaac replied bouncing back the sarcasm and took a couple of extra long strides to keep up with Mike. "Besides, I know neither of us are going to be Pokemon trainers anytime soon, but I like to keep thinking that I am a Pokemon trainer and act accordingly."

"You're still the hopeless dreamer aren't you? Well I hate to crush your glass world but dreams don't come true, not in this town." They walked in silence down the dull blue hallways with the dented tan lockers and the thinning hoards of screaming teenagers.

It was then that Mike began thinking about his dreams and how much they were actually worth to him now. Did he actually want to pursue his goals or were they just the drifting thoughts he had before he went to sleep? If he could start his Pokemon training tomorrow, he would be at least 4 years behind everyone else. Most other children started when they were 9 or 10 years old, not 14. Mike knew he could never be accepted into one of the few prestigious Pokemon Academies or have enough money to support his training. He had to laugh at himself for all the years he spent trying to learn everything there was to know about Pokemon just knowing he would be a trainer one day. Mike learned the hard way that childish hope has no chance against time and circumstance.

"Hey Mike," Isaac meekly said breaking Mike away from his thoughts, "do you wish to get on the bus or do you wanna hop, skip and jump all the way home?" add something about their environment, where they are walking to and standing at

"Sorry, I started thinking and forgot to check back with reality from time to time." Isaac smiled at his friend for somehow, he knew what Mike was thinking. Ever since they were 6 years old, Mike had wanted to be a trainer. Mike was the reason Isaac was into Pokemon. But he knew the inevitable as well as Mike, so he let that train of thought travel down its own track. The two friends boarded the bus and took their usual seat, the 3rd seat from the back on the driver side of the bus. They plopped down into the worn leather seats and prepared their butts for the worst 45 minute ride an over energized teenager could experience.

Mike and Isaac entertained themselves with the latest Pokemon news, discussed the events of their day and made fun of all the losers in their school. In between Isaac's limited ability to stay on the topic at hand and Mike's feeble attempts to keep Isaac on only one conversational topic, the two pals laughed and carried on as if they had no worries in the world. Finally the bus began nearing their destination when Mike perked up as if a needle poked him in the thigh.

"I almost forgot, we have a field trip coming up in two days to Saffron City and the world famous Pokemon Research Center, wooo hoooo! You better not forget to tell your mom to sign those stupid consent forms," Mike commanded while pointing his finger roughly in Isaac's face.

"I won't forget Mikeinious! See, I wrote it on my hand, notebook and planner, how can I go wrong?"

"With you, even the most foolproof plan can go wrong," Mike quickly countered.

"I suppose you're right. Well make sure you call me sometime this evening to remind me, okie dah?"

"Is that really necessary? Come on, you're 15 years old and can't remember something as simple as a consent form to go to the greatest place on Earth?"

"You know how bad my ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) is Mike and that I can sometimes even forget to breathe," Isaac jested.

"I never thought I would see the day when I had to tell my best friend to inhale. What a sad day that was, funny, but sad," Mike said carrying on the anecdote. They both had a knee slapping chuckle before they parted ways for the evening. Mike was really worried about his friend but figured if medicine, psychologists and prayer couldn't help him then he better get used to it.

From the short distance to her bedroom, she could hear his bed squeak and groan from the rapid movements of her son trying to locate a pleasurable spot to enter REM. Even at 3 am Mike was unable to fall asleep because he was so excited about his trip to Saffron City and the Pokemon Research Center. He was actually going to be in the presence of the world's most famous Pokologists. Mike had oodles of questions he wanted to ask and was like a sponge ready to soak up any new information he could obtain.

His mind drifted from the research center to his unreachable dream of becoming a trainer. Somewhere deep inside him, Mike still had that comforting feeling that his dream would come true. Despite the overwhelming odds and his attempts to confront the actual reality of the situation, the feeling would not leave. And for some odd reason, it was even stronger now. He quickly dismissed it as excitement jitters. Mike had been disappointed too many times in his life to let something as insignificant as a feeling get in the way of logic and reason. He rolled over once more to stare at the glowing red numerals on his clock. He knew he had to get some rest for tomorrow; his mind knew that simple fact, but his body protested. Only one way to solve that problem. Mike's hand reached into the drawer of his night stand and slithered around until he found the bottle of "Branson's Nocturnal Sleep Assisting Aid." He didn't care what the package warning stated, as long as it worked. Five minutes later, the medicine lived up to its name.

An annoyed groan emanated through the twilight as a lazy palm slammed down on the snooze button of the cracked alarm clock. Despite the fact that the sleep assisting aid was still trying to do its job, Mike crawled out of bed and staggered to the bathroom. After completing his duties in there, he made his way to the kitchen to locate his breakfast. Through the narrow slits of his partially opened eyes, Mike discovered that the cereal cabinet and spice rack were not one and the same. He looked over his shoulder making sure his mom hadn't witnessed his discovery trek. Luckily, she wasn't up and about yet. He watched the weather channel as he munched on the supposedly new and improved Lucky Charms with 75 larger marshmallows. He guessed that large cereal companies assumed little children didn't know they could sue for false marshmallows claims.

The Xatu predicted warm and sunny weather for the day with 3-5mph NW breezes due to the unusual dip in the jet stream in combination with the warm front moving into the area. He rolled his eyes when Wally the Weatherman stated the temperature would be 89 degrees with a heat index at 91 degrees. If it is 89 degrees outside, then it will feel like 89 degrees. Mike knew that the heat index was not based on any scientific fact or evidence; it was just a term weather personnel used to make their job a lot more interesting than it really was. Let them have their little hay day, he thought to himself because in a couple of hours, he would be learning real facts at the research center.

He quickly got dressed and gathered all his Pokemon paraphernalia and prepared his pack for a particularly pleasurable day. Mike flew out of the door to meet Isaac at the bus stop. He had almost made off the front lawn when he remembered his consent form. He would be hacked to no end if he had forgotten it. Mike, fleet of foot, raced back inside, clenched the precious parchment and hurried back out the door hoping that this time, he hadn't left anything important behind.

Once at the corner of Main and Market streets, Mike dropped his backpack on the ground and jumped up on the large stone retaining wall that supported the sharp downward slope of the church lawn behind him. As always, Isaac was late and Mike predicted that Ron would wait for him. Isaac had this uncanny ability to bend the world and people around him to make up for his tardiness, ADD or whatever seemed to be plaguing him at that particular moment. The worst part about it, Isaac was not even aware of his ability. He just carried on as if nothing happened or when made aware of his world bending abilities, he passed it off as coincidence. If Mike's dream of being a trainer didn't come true, he would buy a crystal ball and become a fortune teller because his prediction was presently coming true. The bus was there and Isaac was not. Ron gave an all knowing nod to Mike and put the bus into park as Mike stepped up on the bus. Mike received his usual share of up curled lips and rolled eyes while he strolled down the aisle. He dismissed the annoyed looks and remarks as easy as oil repels water.

Well as predictions go, they're not always as they seem. Mike thought they would be waiting at least ten, fifteen minutes but to Mike's and the other passengers' surprise, Isaac showed up only 6 and a half minutes late. Mike was shocked and stunned, more stunned than shocked but shocked nevertheless. He was just about to ask Isaac about the unusual incident but before he could make his request, Isaac blurted out, "You're not going to believe what just happened to me."

"To my knowledge, there is not any known method for getting you early to any appointment or designation, so this is going to be interesting," Mike offered suggestively.

Isaac jumped right into his story completely disregarding what Mike had just said. "As usual, my Sailormoon clock woke me up this morning with her most appealing chorus and as I was checking my email and the Pokenews site, I noticed that the water in my fish tank was extremely low. I thought to myself this is weird and should not be happening, so I began checking my cell phone for whomever called me last."

"Um, what does ANY OF THIS have to do with you getting here early," Mike interrupted his friend's absentminded rambling. A look of surprised crossed Isaac's face as he said,

"I'm here early?" Mike covered his face in mock disgust.

"You mean you are completely unaware that you arrived to the bus stop almost on time. I thought that's what the whole story was supposed to be about," Mike said in a flat tone.

"Ummmmm...you mean I'm really here early. I even surprise myself sometimes. No the whole story was about how I found out that..." A short pause followed, then Isaac face scrunched up in disappointment. "I forget what the whole story was about," Isaac stuttered as he tried to collect his fleeting thoughts. Mike had to laugh at his poor friend for his characteristic really short term memory.

"Oh now I remember," Isaac continued as his face brightened. "My fish tank was leaking, so after I checked it, I found out that it really wasn't leaking after all. I then remembered I had a dream last night about being really thirsty and drank from a stream which now I assume it was my fish tank. When I realized that I had drank my fish water, I had to do some major reverse peristalsis and of course lost my appetite, so I didn't eat my usual big breakfast, so I guess that's why I am early." Mike had to hold his lips shut to keep from repeating Isaac's most recent repulsive action.

"That's really gross. Why didn't you wake up when you drank that disgusting water," a high pitched voice piped up in front of them. The voice belonged to an overly lean female with long stringy brown hair and a bad case of acne. Both Mike and Isaac looked up to see the girl sitting on her knees with her palms hanging over the back of the seat.

"Since I was a kid, I have always had problems with sleep walking. One time I got up in the middle of the night and had to use the bathroom but was still asleep at the time. I had a nice sit down in a dining room chair. I think it was then that I began to count all the specialists I was seeing: a neurologist, an allergist, a dermatologist and now it was going to be a proctologist. Needless to say, I wasn't a very happy child," Isaac answered accompanying the story with the full motions and sound effects. The girl giggled at his amusing story while Mike sat back and shook his head. Of all the people he could have been friends with, why did the fates intertwine their lifelines together? Isaac was a great friend; he was just a little discombobulated at times and that tended to make life a lot harder for those who had the responsibility of redirecting him away from life's oncoming trains.

"You're so funny," the girl squealed as she cupped her chin with her hands and laid her elbows on the back of the seat, "what are your names? My name is Akane Gasuganomichi." The boys gasped at her very unusual name, and then they gathered their composure and introduced themselves.

Mike and Isaac discovered that Akane moved to Grafton two days ago and was living on the upper side of the city. Mike raised a questioning eyebrow when he noticed Akane was really vague when she reported information about her family or her past, but Mike let it go. But the conversation did not dwell on Akane for long because Isaac's conversation manipulation ability was kicking in. Isaac had another unexplainable ability; he could monopolize any conversation on any topic despite how talkative or dominant the other conversationalists were. It was at this point that Mike noticed that Akane kept her eyes glued to Isaac, but she wasn't looking at him only because he was the one talking. She was looking at him the way an anorexic views a Smorgasbord. Mike had to giggle inside for they were both grinning ear to ear, but for completely different reasons: one was beaming because she was infatuated, the other because he was talking about Pokemon. When the bus stopped at its final destination, the trio stood up and again the boys gasped at Akane. She stood a full foot and a half above Isaac who was already reaching the six span mark; her greasy hair was longer than Isaac was tall. Mike had to stifle another laugh as they exited the bus. Akane waved a giddy goodbye as they went on separate paths to their lockers.

After she had left Mike gave an all knowing look to Isaac and commented, "hey, I think I found what you have been looking for!"

"Did you find my favorite eraser that I let you borrow?" Isaac emphasized the last three words.

"Um no. I'll give ya a hint. It is tall, has long stringy hair and a head full of straw," Mike hinted giving the answer completely away. Isaac returned the clues with a bewildered stare and said "I do not understand why you are saying such unnatural things, Mikeinious." After a second, Mike realized his friend was not acting at all; Isaac had missed all the obvious clues that Akane would like to dig her yellow nails into him. Not wanting to solve this apparent mystery, Mike told Isaac he would see him later on the bus to Saffron City and took off for his home room.

The site was breath-taking, gargantuan sky scrapers formed a palisade around the magnet train as it pulled into the station with millions of people rushed to and fro like locusts on a rampage. Mike could not turn his head fast enough to catch all the sights. On his left he saw a gorgeous park complete with a water fountain and courses for the expert skateboarder or in-line skater. On the right side of the 6 lane highway was a huge sprawling 8 story mall that neighbored a barracks, hotel and an arena especially made for Pokemon duels. Mike had the most difficult time taking his eyes off the arena. Many times he had pictured himself in the Saffron Pokemon Tournament dueling his hardest and coming out victorious. A shout brought Mike's attention back to the front of the bus where he saw the famous Pokemon Research Center. He was seconds away from meeting all the famous Pokologists and Pokemaniacs such as Dr. Ashton Ketchum and Freaky Sister Sue. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel his blood pulsating in his jugular vein.

Mr. Alvin Terrence Vega, the biology teacher, gave a stern lecture about being on their best behavior, or they would sit on the bus for the rest of the field trip. He read out the day's itinerary and lead the flock inside the building. In the vestibule, Mike meet up with Isaac who already had Akane following him like a trailer in tow. Mike leaned close to Isaac and quietly whispered why the behemoth was tracking him. Isaac shrugged his shoulders and pointed to the marble statues of Charizard, Wartortle and Venusaur that guarded the front door. The trio stared in awe at the massive replicas; all pondering the meaning of life. Mike recalled later that this was the only time ever that Isaac had actually been quiet. Their admiration for the delicate artwork was interrupted by a voice calling for their attention. The group was greeted by a friendly blonde haired man who informed them that he would be their tour guide. The tour guide initiated the tour with a brief history of the company and explained the presence of Charizard, Wartortle and Venusaur. He told the famous story of how these three Pokemon saved a town from a herd of raging Tauros. He further reiterated that scientists first learned of type advantages from a legendary duel between these three special Pokemon. Mike and Isaac clung to his every word and transferred the data in their permanent memory banks. Being the articulate creature, Isaac kept notes using a mini-recorder.

Their tour guide, as they secretly found out later, was once a reigning Pokemon champion who was forced to give up his title because he had cheated by using Pokemon steroids. He led them through the administrative offices where the group met the president of the Pokemon Research Center. The president shook their hands gave them all a membership packet, so they could join the elite worldwide Pokemon Fan Club. The tour guide then led them through the Pokemon History Hall where they learned how people learned to duel Pokemon and use their special abilities for residential, commercial and industrial uses. He talked about all the special attention Pokemon had received during recent years with the creation of Pokemon interest and activist groups such as The Pokemon Reformation and Pokemon-Are-People-Too. These groups helped the government create laws and policies to protect the Pokemon from abuse and mistreatment. Intentionally hurting a Pokemon was a federal crime punishable by enduring the same pain the Pokemon went through, a 10,000 fine, minimum five year sentence in jail, 1000 hours of community service plus being put in the National Pokemon Abuser Database.

The tour guide ushered the group from the president's office down the main hallway to a large auditorium where he gestured for them to be seated. Out on the stage walked the most famous person ever to grace a birth certificate was Dr. Ashton Ketchum. When the tour guide, several of the research assistants and Mr. Vega wiped the drool off and restrained the more wild of the bunch, the tour guide introduced the group to Dr. Ketchum who was standing quietly off to one side. Mike, Isaac and Akane all stared at each other; they couldn't believe their luck. They were actually in the presence of the most famous Pokemon trainer and scientist. Dr. Ketchum thanked the tour guide for the introduction and then silently stood in the midst of the group as if pondering his next words. He blinked twice, cracked his knuckles, popped his neck and then stared questioningly at the children.

"Oh, was I supposed to say something here," Dr. Ketchum asked as if he had been beamed down by Scotty.

"Yes, yes Dr. Ketchum," a nearby assistant replied, "you agreed to talk to these children about Pokemon, remember," the assistant said urgently emphasizing the last word.

"Oh quite right Mr. Perkins. Umm, you wouldn't happen to remember exactly what I was going to tell them do you?" Mr. Perkins slapped his hand against his face, mumbled something about not getting paid enough and pulled down a flow chart hanging from a transportable markerboard.

"Does this look familiar DOCTOR KETCHUM," Mr. Perkins articulated in angered tones.

"Thank you Mr. Perkins. I almost forgot I was going to inform this lovely group of my latest research breakthroughs. Would you all like to hear about that?" When the group gave a thunderous yes, Dr. Ketchum and Mr. Perkins pulled out the rest of the flow chart of the anatomy and physiology of a Pikachu. The group became very silent. Every eye fixated on Dr. Ketchum like he was the epicenter of a 10.0 earthquake.

Doctor Ketchum began his lecture on the fundamentals of Pokemon such as types and different attacks they each can possess. Then he pulled out the big guns by revealing to the group that he knows how Pokemon communicate. He explained that a recent interest in Pokemon research is their ability to communicate. It was widely known that to "speak" to each other, Pokemon would say the whole or parts of their names repeatedly. Scientists, such as himself, wondered why and how they could convey such complex and abstract concepts to each other by using such a simple "alphabet." After careful observation of Pokemon and many experiments, Dr. Ketchum stumbled upon the first part of the answer. He noticed that Pokemon speech came in several varieties based on the number of syllables in the Pokemon's name. Pokemon with one syllable in their name such as Jynx used different pitches and speed of repetition to talk while two syllable Pokemon such as Growlithe have an extra syllable they can use. Growlithe still use different pitches and repetition speed but not to the extent of Jynx. Pokemon with three or more syllables in their name such as Skarmory have even more variety in the syllables so they tend to use even less variation on pitch and speed of repetition.

The group sat awed as they carefully listened to the musical words floating in their ears. Between a pause in breaths, a hungry rumble was heard across the room. Dr. Ketchum looked inquisitively at his watch and remarked that he was sorry to keep them from their lunch. He suggested that they all take a break for lunch and reconvene afterwards but protests quickly arose from the group which provoked Dr. Ketchum to reconsider his first idea. He again won the admiration of this young crowd by proposing they get their lunches and while they ate, he would continue tell them about their latest research. A deafening cheer emanated from the easily captivated students, and they proceeded in putting his idea into action. Before everyone had a chance to sit down, Mike and Isaac managed to get themselves almost right in front of Dr. Ketchum because maybe, oh just maybe, they might receive special attention from him.

When lunch was all set, Dr. Ketchum picked up exactly where he had left off. He continued to explain that communication based on the number of syllables is just a general rule because Pokemon such as Grimer and Teddiursa have been known to use a wide variety of pitches, speed of repetition and fluxuation of pitch as they say their name. Pokemon also use a lot of body language and facial expressions to communicate. To illustrate this point, Dr. Ketchum called for his Pikachu. Seconds later, Pikachu burst into the room and on Dr. Ketchum's lap. He quickly pointed out Pikachu's posture, hand and arm motions and facial expression as Pikachu entered the room. He asked Pikachu to begin telling him what he had done that day. Pikachu went into a lengthy spill of many Pi's, Pika's and Pikachu's and a wide variety of Pictionary style hand motions. As Pikachu conversed to Dr. Ketchum, he would translate what he was saying. Dr. Ketchum also explained that he had been with Pikachu for a very long time and knew how Pikachu communicated. Dr. Ketchum pointed out the problem with this postulation: how does Pikachu manage to talk with Pokemon he doesn't even know?

Dr. Ketchum proposed his theory of Pokemon communication. He stated that besides the verbal and body language, Pokemon must use another method of talking with each other especially when they are discussing complex or abstract topics. He believes that Pokemon have a base system of communication in which all Pokemon know and use plus have their own unique way to talk such as tail movements or making other noises. He thinks that Pokemon innately know how each Pokemon talks even if it has never encountered that species before. Dr. Ketchum also proposed a second theory that he was apprehensive about sharing. He thinks that maybe Pokemon have some sort of Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) that allow them to convey abstract and complex ideas because even as humans, we still have a difficult time explaining things such as love. About this time, the tour guide gently nudged the professor in the side which forced him to consider the time. The tour guide was insistent on observing the time table that was issued to him rather than assessing what the group wanted to do.

"Does anyone have any questions about what I just talked about or anything else," Dr. Ketchum asked? Every right and left arm shot into the air and since the first twenty fingers he saw belonged to Mike and Isaac, he acknowledged them to go first.

"What are your beliefs on Pokemon cross breeding and why or why not do you think it should be allowed," Mike boldly asked his million-dollar question?

"Unfortunately, this is not a black and white issue, there are good points to be made on both sides, so therefore, I remain ambivalent. I understand the side which states that cross breeding can create stronger Pokemon that could be used for battling or for creating specialized Pokemon for specific tasks. change sentence I recognize the beliefs of the other side that state that if we cross breed, we will get so absorbed in creating stronger Pokemon, we'll end up neglecting them and that it is unnatural to cross breed; Pokemon don't do it naturally, why should we make them do something they aren't comfortable with in the first place? Sorry if I didn't fully answer your question the way you had wished, but until more research comes out on cross breeding, I cannot make a stand on either side of the issue. Did I explain myself well enough?" Mike nodded solemnly. "Good, who had their hand up next." Dr. Ketchum then pointed to Isaac who was nearly standing on his tippee toes right in front of the poor doc's face.

"Two questions. The first one," Isaac inquired while holding up one finger, "is how can scientists label Gyarados and Mantine flying type Pokemon when Gyarados doesn't possess any flying type moves and neither of them actually flies?"

"Ahh, very good question. You have to understand that the decision to label a Pokemon a certain type is not solely based on the Pokemon's moves or abilities. A hundred years ago, scientists did not even realize that Pokemon came in types. Sure they understood that a Pokemon possessing fire type moves would surely win a duel against grass types but they never knew why. A Pokemon's type is now based on their DNA as well as their moves and abilities. A Pokemon such as Gyarados does not fly nor does Gyarados possess any flying type moves, but they do possess the strengths and weaknesses and DNA strands that flying Pokemon have. The same case goes for the Mantine even though they have a flying type move which can be explained by the flying type DNA being more strongly expressed in Mantine. Therefore, they are labeled as a water/flying type pokemon. And your next question," Dr. Ketchum replied cooly.

"What is the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a partial state of contraction?" Isaac asked thinking he had finally outwitted the man equipped with three Ph.D's.

"The answer is simple and can be easily explained by a Pokemon." The professor called for a Jynx to come down to the lunch room through the intercom. Jynx arrived shortly bouncing her hips back and forth while she sashayed into the room. Dr. Ketchum whispered something in her ear, Jynx nodded and waltzed her way next to Isaac and gave him a big kiss right on the lips! The group went wild with laughter and the Marine disciplined Mr. Vega swiftly organized his troops into to an obedient silence.

"Now now Mr. Vega, it's ok for these children to laugh. 'Laughing is good for the soul, a ray of sunshine that keeps the flower of life growing,'" Dr. Ketchum quoted a famous children's poem. Alvin Vega grunted and crossed his arms in defeat but kept his stone faced grimace, daring anyone to break orders again. The Q A continued for the next half an hour until the professor realized the children had yet to see the best part of the facility.

Dr. Ketchum rushed them through corridors, plummeted them down elevators and drifted them through corners (as best as two feet can drift.) The entourage ended up standing before two large iron doors meticulously carved with strange symbols and various Pokemon. The doc swiped his identification card through a control panel on the left of the door, typed in a lengthy password and the doors burst open with a shrieking squeaking sound.

"Yes I know children, we seriously gotta get that fixed, but there seems to be a shortage on WD-40. Right this way." Dr. Ketchum led them into a huge laboratory. Before it could become a prepubescent Pokemaniac playpen, Dr. Ketchum waved his arms around the room and instructed the children to look but do not touch anything. Along the far wall was a fortress of incubators housing tiny Pokemon, all furnished with their own set of tubes and monitors. To the left and right were many tables set up with test tubes full of unknown liquids, microscopes and an odd assortment of lab equipment. Through the window on the far door, Mike noticed what appeared to be a large playground. He thought it odd for adults to have recess or to bring their children to a place as dangerous as a laboratory, but he figured Dr. Ketchum would have an explanation.

"This is where the greatest minds have gathered to contemplate and discover the greatest mysteries of Pokemon such as behavior, body chemistry and physiology, adaptation and change. If you look to your right, you will see a very interesting piece of equipment. This little puppy is known as a Kolbjorn, after Dr. Yolanda Kolbjorn, the woman who invented it," Dr. Ketchum elaborated and pointed to a picture of a woman on the wall above the machine. Mike thought the woman looked like she had eaten one to many lemons and not enough prunes in her lifetime. Dr. Ketchum pulled him back to reality with his digression. "A Kolbjorn allows us to separate Pokemon DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid, in case you didn't know) for examination and for typing. With the Kolbjorn, we can compare unknown DNA to a database of every known Pokemon. Pretty soon, we will be able to read the DNA and know what each specific strand is responsible for."

"We have found out some very interesting information when we compared Pokemon DNA. We first compared one type-same type Pokemon, or OTST Pokemon, with each other to gain an understanding what makes these Pokemon unique and alike. For instance, we compared Grimer and Koffing DNA since they have one type which is poison and do not change type when they evolve like Nidorano into Nidoking. We found that there were DNA strands among the Grimer and Koffing that were identical and those identical strands were spaced out among the non-identical strands in almost the same pattern. Now of course, there were small deviations to the pattern, but it was scary how identical these two DNA strands were. Now, it does make sense that these two Pokemon would have some identical DNA because of their same type and abilities, but does that explain the seemingly identical pattern? To gain a glimpse of the answer, we compared even more OTST Pokemon to see if the same pattern appeared. Our next subjects were Abra and Drowsee. They did not have the same pattern of identical and non-identical DNA strands as compared to Grimer and Koffing but the pattern between Abra and Drowsee was remarkably close. We knew we had stumbled onto something, we just didn't know what it was yet, and sadly, we still don't know. Our research has continued endlessly and we feel we are inches away from the answer. As soon as we find out what apparently is staring us in the eyes, we'll be sure to announce it to the world. But enough of all this lecturing, let's go see some Pokemon!" The group cheered as the professor led them to the far door onto the playground that Mike had noticed earlier.

As the door opened, Isaac and Mike witnessed the most incredible site ever for a Pokemaniac. Mike was right, it was a playground but it wasn't made for the scientists or their children, it was made for the Pokemon. Any elementary school student or any creative 14 year old boy would have endless fun on the playground. There were slides, a rope course, bunkers, several creeks, many fruit bearing trees and plants, an underground complex, forts, an obstacle course, body building stations complete with Pokemon housing and bathrooms.

"I would give up my left kidney to live here for a week," Isaac exclaimed throwing his hands up in the air forgetting that his mini-recorder was in his hand. The recorder shot from his hand and sailed toward a group of Girafarigs, but before the recorder had a chance to hit the ground, one of the Girafarigs caught it effortlessly in his jaws. Dr. Ketchum called for it to bring the recorder back to Isaac. The Girafarig galloped happily toward the scientist with the prize. Dr. Ketchum directed the Girafarig to drop the recorder in Isaac's upturned palms, and it followed the directions almost before the professor could spit them out. The scientist graced his hands up and down the the Girafarig's neck as a reward for returning the recorder. It squealed with delight at the attention which enticed the entire herd of Girafarig to zoom over to Dr. Ketchum's side. In seconds, the group was surrounded by 16 dual headed quadrupeds that literally begged the students to pet them as well. Their begging did not go unanswered, for the group eagerly pet the attention starved Pokemon. Finally, Dr. Ketchum had to order them to continue feeding, or he would not be able to show the group the rest of the facility.

"Here is where we keep, observe, train, feed and play with our Pokemon," Dr. Ketchum announced as two assistants approached him from the Pokemon houses. "We hope to gather at least two of each kind of Pokemon and have enough financial resources to build a much larger living area. Right now we have 75 different species and boast over 200 Pokemon all together." Mike wished so much at that moment to be able to take any one of the Pokemon home and start his training. He began to play out a scenerio in which he would win a Pokemon of his choice if he could answer 5 questions correctly. He quickly snapped out of his daydream when Isaac gently pushed him forward when he saw the group moving forward and Mike standing immobilized. Mike stumbled as he had to switch from the standing position mode to walking mode, a complex transition indeed. The professor, at a student's request, let the group go around freely exploring the area and playing with the Pokemon. After some time, the famed scientist called the group back together to visit the last site on the list, the arena.

"We have something special for you all today. We don't normally do this, but since we have been...overburdened, we thought we could repay the favor that has been generously given to us by the entire research community. We are offering a chance for all of you to win some fabulous prizes by winning a Pokemon duel. All who wants to participate (which happened to be almost everyone) make two lines one at either side of the arena, and you can duel whomever comes next in the line. If you don't have any Pokemon or did not bring yours, shame on you. But don't despair, we'll let you borrow our Pokemon which will come completely random to make things fair and interesting for us Pokemaniacs. Don't worry, they're all about the same level, so don't think you'll be getting a level 100 Mew." After all the students had arranged themselves into their respective lines, Dr. Ketchum went down the line asking each person who did not bring a Pokemon to pick a Pokeball out of a duffel bag he was carrying. Finally, the bag came to Mike and Isaac. Their hearts were pounding like kettle drums, their smiles stretched wide as spandex across a sumo wrestler's butt. Mike closed his eyes in anticipation as he reached into the bag and prayed he had picked the perfect Pokemon to win his duel.

"Alright Go Pokemon," Mike shouted and the Pokeball reacted to the command as it released Mareep, the electric sheep Pokemon. "Well, I guess it could have been a worse Pokemon such as Magikarp or Metapod.

"Ok my turn to pick," Isaac exclaimed as he rummaged through the duffel bag until he stopped, smiled and pulled out his Pokeball. He released the Pokemon and out came a Porygon, the geometric duck Pokemon.

"How...how did you manage to pull such a rare and strong Pokemon? This goes to show that the curse on me never falters or fails in its duty," Mike sighed at his friend's good luck. Isaac just smiled and danced around in a little circle, and he accidentally wacked the head of the person standing behind him.

"Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to do that," Isaac apologized for his jubilation. All he got in return was a cold stare and a threat to end his life if he ever did that again.

"Isaac, only you could pick out such a lucky Pokemon and an instant later have a death warrant on your head. How do you do it?" Mike joked sarcastically in his best reporter voice.

"I attribute this event to the alignment of Jupiter and Pluto during this month. When they are in the third trimester of the second moon phase during the Solstice of the Sun, they tend to intertwine the sources of good and bad luck around me in a chaotic double helix," Isaac replied matter of factly, keeping up the joke.

"There you have it folks; the answer to how Isaac Newtanvil manages to cheat fate as if it was a spinning jumprope and him as a half limp millipede." The two buddies busted out laughing at their insuing hilarity.

"I don't get it," Akane said as her brow wrinkled in confusion.

"Forget it lame brain," Mike tartly responded, "hurry up and pick your Pokemon so we can get on with life." Akane reached into the bag and pulled out her Pokeball.

"Oh I sure hope it's cute," Akane exclaimed to which Mike retorted under his breath, "hope it isn't cute like you." Akane obviously overheard him because she gave him her best set of evil eyes which only made Mike shudder even more.If she does that look again, I am going to fill my shoes with vomit, Mike thought to himself. Akane released her Pokemon which turned out to be a Slugma, the fire slug Pokemon.

"Eeew, I can't battle with such a disgusting Pokemon. I'll pass since I can't battle with a cute Pokemon such as Clefairy," Akane complained but when she mentioned Clefairy, she clasped her hands together and pulled her arms next to her body as if hugging a Clefairy and her puke brown eyes circled around her eye socket. Akane returned Slugma to his Pokeball and threw the Pokeball back into the bag. She walked over to the bleachers to watch the duels. Dr. Ketchum stood there with the face that resembled a cow looking at an oncoming train and kept passing out the Pokeballs until everyone had one.

"Ok, is everyone ready. Here are the rules. Everyone will use one Pokemon and the first one to incapacitate the other's Pokemon is declared the winner and will be given a random prize including money or even a Pokemon. Let's begin," the professor shouted and the two students first in line began their match.

Isaac and Mike talked about various strategies and tips while they waited for their turns. It didn't take long for Mike's turn to come about, for the matches seemed to last only a short duration.

"How about you go first Isaac because I am too nervous to go out in front of all these people," Mike suggested.

"Oh okay Mikeinous!" Isaac happily accepted his friend's proposal. Isaac nonchalantly waltzed his way into the arena and took his place at the designated semicircle. Isaac and Mike could see that Isaac's opponent had a Pineco (as its name suggests, it looks like an oversized pinecone) for her Pokemon. Isaac realized he had a strong advantage over his opponent and since he knew all the attack moves for both Pokemon, he began to form a stratagem in his mind. He decided he was going to have some fun with his opponent because she was the school's head prep and preps never talk to people such as Mike and Isaac. Both boys would like to see her go down in a blaze of shame, and Isaac knew just the way to bring her down the hierarchy a notch or two. Isaac grinned mischievously as he launched his Porygon into battle.

"Go Porygon, start with your Tackle attack and use it repeatedly!" Just as Isaac predicted, the up-in-style chic commanded its Pineco to use its Protect to keep it from harm. At first, it seemed as though Porygon's Tackle attacks were useless but as Pineco used its Protect attack for the third time, Porygon was able to bust through Pineco's defenses and land a solid hit.

"Hey, you weren't supposed to be able to hit my Pineco. It just used Protect and no attack can penetrate that especially not a Tackle attack from a square headed Pokemon," the girl sneered rolling her eyes.

"You're only half right. Protect does block any attack but when its used repeatedly in the fashion you just brazenly displayed for us, it loses its potency and begins to fail," Isaac jeered at the snob before him.

"No geek is going to beat me. Use Take Down now and blow that miserable thing away!"

"Use Agility to dodge her attack. Then use Psybeam while Pineco's back is toward you!" Pineco's Take Down was easily avoided by Porygon's Agility. Before Pineco could maneuver himself around, Porygon used its Psybeam.

"Ha! Even an elementary trainer knows that bug type Pokemon are strong against psychic attacks. You moron." Isaac just grinned.

"Keep using Psybeam!"

"I'm not going to fall for your trick again, amateur. Pineco, dodge the first Psybeam, then use Protect the next time and keep switching back and forth while moving closer to Porygon." Through diligent effors, Pineco was able to avoid most of the attacks and resisted the Psybeams that managed to hit it. Even though Porygon was having little success, Isaac kept instructing it to pound away with Psybeam. Finally, Isaac got what he was looking for; Pineco began to sway back and forth and its eyes were swirling around its sockets.

"What did you do to my Pokemon, dork," the prep questioned enraged at the punk's insolence.

"And you call me an amateur. Don't you know that with every Psybeam attack, there is a chance that it will cause confusion. Now your Pineco doesn't know whether to wind his butt or scratch his watch," Isaac replied obviously amused at the change of events. "Now Porygon, use Tackle to apply some serious damage to that overrated insect!" Pineco reeled as it was suddenly struck by a physical force. Pineco tried to make sense of what was going on, but the confusion gripped it tightly and refused to let go.

"Come on Pineco, snap out of it. We can't lose to such a pathetic loser. Use Tackle now." When Pineco didn't respond to the command, Isaac instructed Porygon to use Tackle to knock Pineco against the arena wall. Porygon charged toward the unsuspecting Pokemon and slammed into it as hard as it could throwing Pineco against the wall and ending the battle.

"Alright Isaac," Mike cheered from the sidelines, "you really put that mutt into her rightful place."

"Who cares anyway? You guys will never amount to anything and will always be beneath my feet." With that, the girl flung her hair around her body as she turned and walked away.

"What a sore loser. That was so great how she played right into your hands. How did you know that would work anyway," Mike asked positioning his body so that Akane couldn't come and congratulate Isaac on his victory.

"Socrates said 'Know thyself,' and my dad always said 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' I figured if I was going to win, I would have to use her weaknesses against her. She was in my science class last year and would get upset everytime something inconsequential happened, so I knew she couldn't keep her emotions in check. I used her fragile emotional state against her by showing how little she actually knew about Pokemon," Isaac lectured.

"That was so smart of you Isaac," Akane praised while trying to push Mike aside, so she could be next to her hero. "I bet you couldn't come up with such an ingenious plan."

"Don't need strategy because I have willpower. At least I have enough courage to use whatever Pokemon came my way and didn't run away because I got a grrrrooossss Pokemon," Mike taunted the already annoyed giant. Before the two adversaries realized their fight was futile, Isaac was already claiming his prize of a 100. It was nothing big, but Isaac was happy with his award and was already figuring out how to spend it.

Mike realized it was his turn to battle and called for Mareep to join him at his side. As Michael Masolbull took his place in the arena, he realized that his dream, his ultimate longing was finally being fulfilled. He felt as though his legs would give way to the weight that was suddenly upon him. His breath came in short rasps and his vision blurred as the realization hit him that this would be his first and last time he would ever engage in a Pokemon battle. Mike's head dropped so his chin touched his chest as his thoughts drifted to all those times as a child he would battle his Pokemon dolls, how every month he would sit and memorize every fact in PokeWorld or how Isaac and him would play as though they were the world's top trainers. He raised his head and pointed a determined gaze toward his opponent. He couldn't, he wouldn't lose. No matter the odds, no matter the obstacles, no matter the prize, he had to win for himself. This was going to be his only opportunity to be in a Pokemon battle, and he would never forgive himself if he lost.

"Ok Mareep, this is it. I know we've never battled together or ever had a chance to form a real relationship but know this; I do not intend to lose. For that to happen, I need your help because it is you who is really battling, so I need all you can dish out. Are you up for that Mareep," Mike explained as he knelt down next to the overly fuzzy sheep and patted its head.

"Mar Mar Mareep!"

"Thank you Mareep. I won't let you down." Mike stood up and nodded to Dr. Ketchum that he was ready to battle. His opponent gave the same nod after he had spoken some words to his Machop, the weightlifting Pokemon.

"Trainers ready? Pokemon ready? Battle!" Dr. Ketchum waved the green flag to signal the start of the match.

"Go Mareep! Use your growl attack!" Mareep leaped into action as did Machop who executed a leer attack. Mareep's throaty growl was not enough to lower Machop's attack and luckily, Mareep was smart enough to dodge the leer attack.

"Mareep, use Thunderwave and then tackle attack!" Waves of electricity radiated and then shot toward Machop and seemed to briefly stun it. In response, Machop used Focus Energy to beef up his attack power. To counter Mareep's tackle attack, Machop's trainer told it to dodge it and use Karate Chop. Mareep tackled right by Machop as it spun around to avoid the attack and began chopping on Mareep's back. Suddenly, Machop stood still as if frozen in time as the Thunderwave attack finally took its toll on Machop.

"Mareep, zap it with a Thundershock attack," yelled Mike in anticipation. Mareep's Thundershock landed square on Machop which jiggled as the voltage surged through its body.

"Come on Machop, resist the attack and rush Mareep and use Seismic Toss!" Machop voluntarily shook his body away from the arcing bolt of electricity and charged at the surprised Mareep and grabbed its front paws with his hands. Machop picked Mareep right up and began spinning in a circle. At the peak of its momentum, Machop released Mareep into the arena walls. Mareep lay stunned and hurt on the ground as it struggled to stand. Tears began to form in Mike's eyes as he realized he was going to lose his first and only Pokemon battle.

"You can't let that wimpy attack beat you Mareep," Mike screamed in frustration, "I know you have more energy left than that. Come on Mareep, win for me. I believe in you!" Mareep set its jaw tight in unbridled determination for the boy who had put all of his faith in her. Mareep stood squarely on its four feet and braced itself for the flying fists that were only inches away.

"Dodge it Mareep and use your Growl attack and blast it again with a Thundershock." Mareep, hurt from the Seismic Toss, was unable to fully dodge Machop's Karate Chop but was able to buffer the blow with its successful Growl attack which set Mareep up for its Thundershock. Mareep summoned all its remaining energy in its Thundershock attack which was barely able to connect to the swift Machop as it tried to counter the attack with a Low Kick attack. Mareep continued its Thundershock as it walked backwards to avoid the swirling feet that were coming its way. Mike saw the Machop weakening, so he urged Mareep to continue the onslaught. Mike's opponent saw the impending defeat and signaled his surrender. Mike let out a victorious whoop of joy as he ran and hugged Mareep who was barely able to stand.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," Mike cried breathlessly as he embraced the exhausted Pokemon. Finally, Mike realized that there were a bunch of his peers staring at him, so he regained his composure and walked to Dr. Ketchum to claim his prize. Like the other winners, he had to a choice to pick from 3 boxes, Box 1, Box 2, Box 3.

"Since Mareep worked so hard to win me this match, I'll let it pick the box. How does that sound Mareep?"

"Mareep, Mar Mareep!" The winning Pokemon sauntered over to Box 3 to signal its choice. Michael prayed that he had won a decent prize. He ever so slowly lifted the lid and reached inside and felt absolutely nothing! His heart leaped into his throat and and jammed against his front teeth. This can't be happening to me, Mike thought to himself but just then he found a slip of paper at the corner of the box. He pulled it out and saw that it had a gold star on it.

"Dr. Ketchum, what does this gold star mean," Mike inquisited as he handed the paper to the professor.

"Ah, you're a lucky one. You just won an actual Pokemon. You may choose the Mareep you have now or one from my duffel bag. Which one will you choose?" Mike looked deep into Mareep's eyes and wondered what his mother would say if he brought a Pokemon home. He knew she didn't make enough money to cover the cost of a Pokemon let alone support him through a career as a trainer. Mike sighed deeply and turned to face Dr. Ketchum who was eagerly waiting for his response.

"I would love to take a Pokemon, but ya see, I can't. My mom works at a grocery store as a cashier and barely makes enough money to cover our bills. There is no way we can afford a Pokemon. Sorry Mareep, I'll never forget the courage you showed in our battle and how you pulled through for me. Thank you." Mike lowered his head in shame over his extremely low social economic status. Dr. Ketchum contemplated this predicament for a second while rubbing his grey beard.

"The most powerful lesson I learned as a trainer was if there is a will, there is a way. There were countless times when I was facing incredibly tough Pokemon and highly intelligent trainers. There were times when I thought I was done as a trainer. Even though I have lost many Pokemon battles, I succeeded because I never quit. I pulled myself together and discovered ways around the mountains in my path. The only way you'll become a trainer is if and only if you display that type of grit and determination. You battled well and it seems you have some talent but that is nothing without love for your Pokemon and the drive to always become better than you were yesterday. The life of a trainer is most difficult, full of loathing, self-doubt and wracked with perils and challenges, but it also has its sweet victories and precious moments. Is this the life you wish to lead, young lad?"

"There is nothing I have wanted more in my life than to become a trainer. It is all I think about," Mike solemnly replied. Dr. Ketchum stared hard into Michael's soul as if probing for truth behind his words. When he was satisfied with his search, he motioned for Mr. Perkins to come hither. Dr. Ketchum whispered something into Mr. Perkins's ear and then the assistant took off toward the lab.

"Wait here until my assistant gets back," the professor commanded. They waited for seven and a half minutes until Mr. Perkins decided he was going to start his trip back to his boss's side. When he returned, he had a clipboard and an oversize package in his hands. He handed Dr. Ketchum the clipboard which had a piece of paper on it with an insignia on the top. The professor thanked his assistant and began asking Mike his full name, social security number and other personal information while writing down all his answers. Mike was slightly confused but answered all of his questions anyway.

A broad smile appeared on Dr. Ketchum's face as he exclaimed, "Congratulations, Michael! You have taken the first step to becoming an official Pokemon Trainer!" The shock was worse than a Thunder attack from a herd of Raichu; Mike hit the floor. Not waiting for him to recover, Dr. Ketchum continued, "Take this paper to an official trainer facility, so they can enter you in the trainer database. Since you seem to have some money woes, I will personally sponsor you. Here is your Pokegear, outfitted with the latest technology. Welcome to the world of Pokemon."

And that is how Michael Masolbull got his break.


	2. The Importance of Tag Alongs

CHAPTER TWO

THE IMPORTANCE OF TAG-A-LONGS

Mike burst through the door to tell his mom how he had fulfilled his dream of becoming a trainer. Before he could tell her his wonderful news, he saw her standing in the kitchen arguing with a tall, well built man wearing jeans and a leather jacket. Mike could see that her face was red and tears were running down her cheeks. Mike knew exactly who the man was and immediately Mike's body began to shake with rage, and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Why are you here?" When Mike's mother saw him, she ran to his side and wrapped both of her arms around him protectively. The man slowly turned around to reveal his sinister grin.

"You know Melissa that he is my son as well, and you can't keep him away from his father forever," the man vindictively said.

"I don't want to be with you," Mike screamed in anger. His mother pulled him tighter toward herself and instructed him to be silent.

"You are breaking your restraining order and your probation by being here so leave, or I will call the cops," Melissa replied trying to keep her emotions in check. The rugged man sneered at her remark and grinned his toothless smile.

"You're so naive, always were. And since when did you become so concerned about my life sweetie. He is my son and I will get him. You just wait and see." His voice slimed over the words as his fortitude failed against the alcohol. If Mike had his beginner Pokemon, he would have showed that lazy, good-for-nothing, lame brained, abysmal, joke of a father a thing or two about intruding on their lives yet again. To show his utter disgust for the man's presence, Mike tried to drill a hole big enough for his guts to fall out with his unnerving stare.

"You don't really care about Michael; you just want him to get back at me for leaving you. You will not get him ever." Mike could feel his mother's fear seeping through his body and knew he had to do something to detour this man's madness.

"Mom, you don't have to worry about that because I will be essentially on my own now," Mike stated, directing his comment toward the hulking loser in front of him. "I just became a Pokemon trainer today, so I won't be going with you anywhere. We don't need you, we don't want you, so go away."

"Hmph. I'll never go away. You're my son, and I deserve to have you." The drunkard staggered toward Mike as if to pull him away from his mother, but she side stepped his feeble attempt. He almost fell to the ground but was able to catch himself on the small dining room table. Mike wished he would have passed out, so they could bury him alive in the backyard. The man groggily pulled himself back to his feet. When he had regained his balance, the man looked straight at his ex wife and son. "Everyone seems to forget to produce a son, you need a man present. I have as much right to be here, and I do not care what the courts say," the man retorted as he pounded his fist against the small circular table and almost fell on the floor again. Mike was disappointed when his father's face didn't smack against the ground.

"You're wrong as always. I am your biological offspring, but I am not your son and you are not my father. You lost your ownership a long time ago and will never be able to get it back. I hate you and would smile a lot more if I knew you had a painful death," Mike asserted angrily, his voice rising with every word.

"Michael! That was uncalled for," she paused for a second as she recollected the past and then continued, "but I have to admit he's right Mark. What you did was unforgivable, and we are making it just fine without you, so go and do not come back," Melissa commanded defiantly as she pointed toward the door.

"You are such a fool and will pay dearly for your mistake. Let it be known that I did everything in my power to make up for my mistake, but obviously that isn't good enough for royalty such as yourselves. Go ahead, live your life of poverty and don't try to grab on my coat tails when I make it big." The man harshly replied and staggered out of the door. When she had made sure her deplorable ex husband had left the premises, she tried to comfort her prince.

"Oh I am so sorry Michael that you had to see that." She hugged her son who was still writhing in rage. "Calm down hun. It's okay now. He's gone and he won't be back."

"How...how," his voice staggered as the anger transformed to grief, "could they let him out of jail. He should have been locked away for eternity," Mike's voice trailed off as the sobs shook his emotionally worn body. All she could do was hold him, for it seemed like she was powerless to ward away the evils of her past. Melissa regretted ever getting involved with Mike's father but cherished the only good thing she got out of the relationship. If only she could have done things differently, he wouldn't have to feel the brunt of her mistake. When it seemed that her son's tears were drying, she gave Mike a mother sized hug and went to the kitchen to start on their dinner.

As she prepared their supper, her thoughts drifted back to the past. She knew Mike hated Mark for beating on them. Mike would witness most of her beatings and would try to intervene on her behalf, but Mike would get knocked out by his enraged father. She knew she should have left him the first time he hit her, but she thought her love for him could change him. But it didn't; nothing changed him. Melissa knew Mike was only a small child and did not need to be subjected to such violence. So, one night while Mark was passed out on the couch, she took her sleeping child to the train station and bought a ticket for the farthest destination her meager funds could get. No matter where she went, Mark always found them. They lived in constant fear of his brutal attacks that would come at any moment. Finally, she had enough; she had him arrested and got a restraining order on him. Mark's relentless stupidity landed him 8 years in jail which was plenty of time for her to find a nice secluded place to live.

For months after their arrival, Mike would constantly cling to her afraid to go anywhere without her. It broke her heart everyday when she had to leave him at school to go to work because he would scream and cry at the top of his lungs. It took Mike the better part of 4 years to have something remotely close to a normal childhood. Melissa knew that Mark would eventually be back with more excuses and manipulations to take Mike away from her. Wait a minute, she thought to herself, didn't Mike say something about being a Pokemon trainer. She felt a wave of relief flood over her as she realized that if Mike really became a real trainer, Mark would have even a harder time tracking them down. She became determined to find out whether her beloved was bluffing or telling the truth and hoped and prayed that it was the latter.

"Now what was this thing you said about being a trainer. You better not have said that just to fool him," she ranted as she put her hands on her hips. Mike gazed calmly into her ever loving face and winked. "Boy, you better explain yourself or you're going to have your dinner all over you!"

"Yes, it's true. I became a Pokemon trainer today. Let me start from the beginning, so I won't miss any details." Mike told his mother the entire story of how he was able to become a trainer and how that Dr. Ketchum would support him financially. All that was left for Mike to do was to go to a trainer facility, get registered, pick his first Pokemon and let the school know he was going to be a trainer.

"Wow, that's very impressive Mike. I am so proud of you. Somehow, I knew in the bottom of my heart that you would eventually live out your dream!" She squealed as she hugged her son again. "Let's eat. I made your favorite, goulash, with extra tomato juice, just the way you like it." Mike and his mother ate their dinner as they discussed all the details of getting Mike ready to go to the trainer facility. When supper was over, Mike helped his mother clean up the few dishes and tidy up the house for the weekend. Mike reclined on the sofa after his energy sapping day only to brought to his feet by the clattering telephone.

"Um, hello," Mike answered with mild enthusiasm.

"Hey Mikeinious! I have some terrific news for you," blasted the eager reply.

"Yeah what is it Isaac? Did you win a trip to the cheese factory or did you manage to locate the other half of your brain?"

"Your half-hearted insults disappointment me. I thought for sure you would be in high spirits since you did become an official Pokemon trainer today."

"Not everyone's life is sugar coated like yours Isaac." A long silence fell between them, and Isaac was unsure if Mike couldn't think of what to say next or had unsuspectingly entered him into a breathing contest. Mike eyed his mother to judge her reaction of his next statement. "I saw my father today." Melissa gave her son an all knowing nod and gave Mike his privacy. Mike's dark tone told Isaac that the meeting was anything but full of peace and love.

"So what exactly happened?"

"Well, obviously he got out of jail. When I came home I saw him arguing with my mom. He kept saying that he deserved to have custody of me and wouldn't stop until I was in his possession again. He was bound and determined to make me his son, yet he couldn't even stand up straight. I can't believe him. He really thinks I belong with him," Mike spat through the words as though they were bile in his mouth.

"I'm sorry Mike. I thought for sure that he would be in jail much longer than that. But cheer up, by the time next week rolls around, we'll be on our way to becoming Pokemon trainers, woo hoo!"

"We? Since when are you coming along? Not that I mind at all, for I would enjoy your companionship," Mike questioned his pal.

"You're not the only one who had a lucky break today. I just got off the phone with Akane," Mike snickered briefly, "and I was telling her how happy I was for you and that I had dreamed of becoming a trainer as well and that I wish I could join you. And get this, she said she could make that happen. I was like, 'no way' and she was like, 'yes way.' She told me that her father is head of a large business and could sponsor me the same way Dr. Ketchum is footing your bill. There's just one catch."

"Oh don't tell me. She's coming along right?" Mike gritted his teeth in aggravation because he thought he could surely get away from that irritating, oversized pimple by becoming a trainer.

"Yeppers, she's coming along. But look at it this way Mike. We'll be both fulfilling our dreams, and we'll be doing it together. Even if you don't like her, please get along with her because you never know when she might come in handy."

"Like when we need a battering ram to bust down our enemy's castle gate. Besides, when did you start caring about Akane," Mike teased profusely.

"I was thinking more along the lines of using her as a pair of stilts myself," Isaac mused carrying on the joke. "Anywho, she says she can get the specs on all the gym leaders and can arrange us transportation, so we won't have to walk everywhere. You have to admit she's going to make our lives a bit easier."

"You know this is just her way of getting closer to you. First she sponsors your journey, next she'll be wanting you to be the father of her 16 children. You just wait, it'll happen."

"So when were you thinking about leaving for the trainer facility? Akane says her mom can take us to Cerulean City next Tuesday, and we can register at the facility there."

"By any chance is there a way to ditch Akane? I was thinking as soon as her mom drove out of sight, we could hightail it and lose her in the crowd. We would have the advantage because of her height, we could always see where she was at," Mike proposed hoping against all hope that Isaac would agree.

"So is Tuesday a good day for you to go? We can always reschedule and delay your journey to becoming a world famous Pokemon trainer," Isaac cajoled trying to get Mike off his anti-Akane propaganda.

"I guess you're not going to bite today. Yeah, I think Tuesday is a great day to get started. Let me check with my mom first okay? Hold for just a second." Mike put the phone down and consulted his mom about leaving for his journey. As much as she wanted to keep him home, Melissa knew she couldn't deny her son the opportunity of a lifetime. She sighed as she agreed to plans beyond her control. "Alright I'm back. Pack your bags Isaac because we are going to Cerulean City!"

Michael rolled his body around, so he could half sit on his left hip. When that position began to crush his pelvic girdle, he rotated back on his butt and squeezed his body as close to the door as possible. Mike crossed his legs and tried to fold his body on top of itself. He soon realized that his skin wasn't as flexible as he imagined. By this time, Mike was getting very perturbed because she was still touching him. Of all vile seating arrangements that could be conjured by demon or fiend, the worst case scenario had beautifully played itself out, and Mike could not do a thing about it. Mike was crammed in the back seat of the sport coupe with Akane tucked snuggly between him and all the stuff she just had to take with her. Of course, Mrs. Gasuganomichi didn't ask him to sit in the front seat. Nooo, she had to ask Isaac to sit upfront with her, right next to the air conditioning and a moveable window. Mike's veins turned green in envy and cursed the stars at his misfortune. He kept telling himself the situation was only temporary but like always, time nor luck was on his side. They were stuck in a traffic jam.

"Move your feet because they're suffocating my feet with their raw stench," Mike whispered to Akane hoping her mother didn't catch wind of his demand.

"No way. I have no room to put them, so you're gonna have to suck it up," Akane roared.

"The reason why you have no room is because you couldn't live without your 147 dolls, 40 pair of shoes, a gigantic cauldron and enough jeans to construct a blimp," Mike retorted.

"Now kids, keep a lid on your tempers. We will get there shortly, so please sit tight," Mrs. Gasuganomichi ordered in her utterly vexing raspy voice. "My daughter is allowed to take whatever she wants because she was nice enough to invite you. If a little crampness displeases you that much, you may walk the rest of the way." If Mike was in Cerulean City limits, he wouldn't have thought twice to finish the trek on foot. Since he was 17 miles away from civilization, he figured he better bite his tongue. When Mrs. Gasuganomichi realized Mike wasn't moving, she continued her conversation with Isaac.

"Now dear, you were saying something about facial cleansers?"

"Ah yes. I was reading the latest research on the popular pore purifiers. The research was saying that most of these products are only minimally effective because they fail to destroy the bacteria that causes pimples and blemishes." So this is why Akane's face looks like the backside of a Donphan, Mike thought to himself. "Most cleansers are nothing more than liquid soap with an ingredient to make your skin tingle leaving you to think its actually clean." The matron winked at her daughter while Isaac briefly turned his head to look out the window. Mike groaned to himself; now they're both in on trying to make Isaac Akane's beau.

"So what do you suggest as an effective pore cleanser," Mrs. Gasuganomichi sweetly asked the unsuspecting lover boy.

"Paint thinner and an SOS pad," Mike suggested hoping to make the girls' trip as miserable as his. They ignored him and continued to seek Isaac's marvelous wisdom.

"Prevention and repetition are keys that unlock flawless skin. You need to prevent the bacteria from becoming blackheads by repeatedly use proven effective methods of bacterial removal," Isaac eruditely taught his engrossed pupils.

"Oh please tell us these proven effective methods," the girls said in unison.

"A gallon of boric acid," Mike quipped.

"Shut up!" Akane scrunched her face and screamed.

"Not in the car, baby doll. That's an outside noise Akane even though I think some people shouldn't be making any noise at all," Mrs. Gasuganomichi insinuated.

"Okay okay. Sheesh, you guys set yourselves up so well." When Mike saw their glaring faces, he began to backpedal. "Alright, I'll be quiet."

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted," Isaac attempted to continued before he was impeded again.

"Look the traffic is moving, go, Go GO!" Mike exclaimed waving his arms excitedly. Mrs. Gasuganomichi turned and sure enough, traffic began to eek down the road near a snail's pace. To Mike, it was lightspeed. To Akane, it was a miracle. The pink coupe snaked its way down the mountain and gathered speed as the crooked road spread open to a 4 lane highway. They traveled only a couple of miles to reach the city limits. Tears dripped off Mike's face in relief when he saw the purple and fluorescent orange mansions of the rich hippies living in Cerulean City's suburbs. He knew his loathing torture was near its end. Mrs. Gasuganomichi maneuvered her way through the maze of streets and fought the carelessness of the idiots who were zooming by her. By an outpouring of grace by the heavenly Pokemon, the crusading crew arrived at the Cerulean City Trainer Facility Inc. The boys unloaded the car, and the girls made a swift trip to the restroom.

"I think we can still pull off my master plan. As soon as we're registered, let's go out for dinner and execute the 'leave the ugly chic with the bill' plan," Mike proposed.

"Let's hurry up and finish unloading the car, so we can get registered and receive our first Pokemon."

"Still ain't gonna bite are ya? You suck big bananas, and you're no fun at all. You're like a nanny, ya know that?" Isaac gave Mike a disapproving look and threw one of Akane's dolls in Mike's face. "Hey, why did you do that for?"

"A nanny? Come on Mike, you gotta do better than that. Besides, you should know above all people far and wide that I do not act like a nanny. So zip it or you shall receive even greater punishment than before!" Isaac threw another doll and hit Mike in the head which incited a playful volley of dolls and beauty supplies.

"What do you think you boys are doing," Mrs. Gasuganomichi scolded as she broke up the fight. "Mike, you should be ashamed at your rude and negligent behavior. And what's worse, you pulled poor Isaac down with you." Mike stood there bewildered. Did she just blame him for Isaac's action? Was she that stupid to believe that Isaac was completely innocent in this ordeal? What Mrs. Gasuganomichi didn't realize was that Mike did not take an unfair punishment or accusation lightly.

"Excuse me? How dare you blame me for the actions of another? To say that I forced or influenced Isaac's behavior in anyway, shape, form or fashion is completely preposterous. Only a total socially blind loser would espouse such absurd virtues," Mike righteously defended himself, and then added in an innocent tone, "And by the way, thanks for the ride, it was lovely." Mike dropped the doll he had in his hand on the ground and walked inside the building. Isaac instinctively followed him and prayed Mike hadn't overstepped Mrs. Gasuganomichi's generosity.

"You had better get back here and clean up this mess Mike." He ignored the hag and walked through the front doors. Mrs. Gasuganomichi stood there dismayed with her hand covering her mouth, for this was the first time someone refused to heed her commands. "Come on Akane. You're not going to be hanging around such riff raff anymore." Mrs. Gasuganomichi spun on her heel and marched toward the driver side door. As she opened her door, she saw that her daughter was not following suit. "We are going Akane. Get in the car." Akane still didn't budge from her spot on the pavement.

"I am not going back home mom. I want to go with Isaac on his journey," her voice trembled as she spoke, "nor do I want you to leave upset. Please mom, let's try to fix this." Mrs. Gasuganomichi eyed Akane for a second before closing her door and walking to Akane's side.

"I don't know why you wish to continue on the path you've chosen or to be anywhere near that disrespectful punk, but we'll try it your way one last time. You'll never make any progress with Isaac as long as Mike's around, so why even try," Mrs. Gasuganomichi complained hoping to persuade her daughter away from her mad plans. Akane half hauled her hefty mother to the front doors. Because she had her back turned, Akane didn't see a familiar duo approaching the doors from the other side. The boys failed to avoid the oncoming collision due to downcast eyes. The sound of a glass door slamming into an unsuspecting teenager's forehead echoed through the extremely large lobby.

"Ouch, why don't you...oh it's you two," Mike slowly said as he recoiled from the blow. "Look, I wanna apologize for messing with your stuff Akane and saying those nasty things to you Mrs. Gasuganomichi. I know I acted like an awakened Snorlax, so to show you gratitude for taking me to the trainer facility, I would like to take you out to eat." Mrs. Gasuganomichi certainly looked baffled at the sudden turn of events; she guessed she would have to reevaluate her opinion of Mike after all. Maybe Akane and Mike would up being friends after all. Only time would tell.

"I guess I have no complaints with that," Akane replied beaming a big smile at Isaac who was smirking himself.

"Neither do I. Let's do what we came here to do, so we can take Mike up on his offer," Mrs. Gasuganomichi agreed as she headed the crew back inside the building. They quickly located the registration table and lucky for them, there was only one person ahead of them.

"Why don't you go first Akane because you have been so beneficial to us," Mike prompted by bowing and ushering Akane with his arms.

"Could this possibly be a friendly gesture by Michael Masolbull? I am overwhelmed," Akane heckled Mike as she pretended to cry.

"I think your overemotional outburst is directly linked to your unsatisfying life and unfulfilled emotional needs. When any event goes over your fragile emotional threshold, your only response is to cry." The other three stared at Mike waiting for him to finish his analysis of Akane's overreaction.

"I am sure glad the psychiatrist is in today, for I wouldn't know what to do with myself if he wasn't here," Akane continued her sarcastic high-strung outrage.

"Stop it you two! Akane, get your skinny tail up to that table and get yourself registered before I drive you all back home," Mrs. Gasuganomichi stammered at the utter ridiculousness before her. Akane went into a spasm of giggles as she could no longer control herself. She made several attempts to get her emotions in check as she approached the registration desk. Isaac looked like he was going to say something, thought better of it, sat down and stuck his nose in a comic book. Mike shrugged his shoulders at Mrs. Gasuganomichi and sat next to Isaac to read the comic with him. By this time, Akane was near normal as humanly possible and stood in front of the clerk.

"Can I help you ma'am?" The elderly woman asked looking up from her paper work through tri-focal glasses.

"I would like to get registered to be a Pokemon trainer," Akane beamed with eyes full of intensity.

"Name?" She questioned bluntly.

"Geordie Akane Gasuganomichi." Mike covered his mouth with his hands to keep from laughing at Akane's first name. A few muffled sounds reached Mrs. Gasuganomichi's ears and she wagged a finger at Mike to keep him silent.

"Address?" The clerk asked not enjoying the glee from the goofy name and typed in the information expeditiously. Akane gave the clerk the necessary information, and the banter continued until the clerk asked Akane what her specialization was.

"Cute Pokemon," Akane squealed as she once again went google eyed and clasped her hands together as she thought of all the cute Pokemon in the world.

"That's not a viable classification of Pokemon ma'am. Choose another," the clerk rebutted.

"Cute Pokemon," Akane insisted not giving the clerk any ground.

"And what exactly is a cute Pokemon," the clerk countered obviously not amused.

"There are so many such as Clefairy, Jigglypuff, Vulpix, Pikachu, Pichu, Totodile, Chikorita, Mudkip, Torchic, Abra, Smoochum, Zigzagoon, Sentret..." The clerk interrupted Akane realizing that she may never get her 3:00pm break.

"That will be all ma'am. Cute Pokemon it is. Now let's get the rest of this information finished," the clerk prompted hoping to get rid of this crazy girl. Akane completed her registration a few minutes later followed by Isaac then Mike. The clerk informed them that their next stop was the Trainer Electronic Bank which was on the other side of the lobby in a small cul-de-sac. Next, they were to go to the Pokemon Store to buy Pokeballs, Pokefood, Pokemon Vitamins and other assorted supplies. To finish up, they were to go to the Cerulean Chapter of the Pokemon Breeding and Distribution Center downtown to receive their starting Pokemon. Needless to say, the group was very excited to be actually starting on their journey. Mike was by far the happiest of them all. If someone had told him a week and a half ago that today he would be getting his first Pokemon, Mike would laugh and throw a pie in his face for such absurdity.

The group quickly set up their banking accounts and bought as much stuff as their Pokegears would allow in anticipation of getting their starting Pokemon. Mrs. Gasuganomichi drove through downtown as fast as she could because the teenagers were antsy and driving her bonkers. To pass the time, they would sing all the pop songs of the day, and Mrs. Gasuganomichi thought the songs were absolutely horribly stupid. The annoyance grew because she had to backtrack due to a wrong turn which made the newly established trainers even more animated. To Mrs. Gasuganomichi's relief, they found the Pokemon Breeding and Distribution Center, and before she could put the car in park, the teenagers had already jumped out of the car and were racing to the entrance. They burst through the doors like a bull at a rodeo and bounced to the front desk.

"We're here to get our starting Pokemon," the three chimed at the same time.

"Well well well, aren't you all full of jubilee," a young, viable woman exclaimed. The trio nodded furiously. "I am Maria Elena Girard, VP of the center. Follow me then." She led them down a short hallway into what appeared to be a small classroom.

"We don't have to take a class to get our Pokemon, do we?" Isaac asked intently.

"Of course not. I'm sure between you three, you all know pretty much everything there is to know about Pokemon. Am I not correct?" The beautiful lady questioned and shined her pearly whites.

"Not quite. We know a lot, well actually Mike probably knows the most between us," Isaac said realistically. Mike blushed at his friend's compliment. "So why are we in here for?"

"In the good old days, trainers had a choice between three Pokemon, Charmander, Bulbasaur and Squirtle. Then when researchers discovered new Pokemon, the choices became Cyndaquil, Totodile and Chikorita. Trainers began to complain that it was too boring for everyone to start out with the same three Pokemon and that sometimes, the trainers discovered they weren't very compatible with their Pokemon. To compensate for that, the Elite Four and Pokemon Industries created the Pokemon Breeding and Distribution Center and the Trainer and Pokemon Compatibility Index. The latter is like a personality test that helps us match the right Pokemon for you. It also gives information on the type or types of Pokemon you will generally have more success in training. Once you have finished with the Trainer and Pokemon Compatibility Index, we run the information through our computer, and it determines what Pokemon would be right for you," Maria eloquently explained.

"What happens if we do not like the Pokemon that we're matched with," Akane pipped up and asked.

"There is a 90 day trial period with your Pokemon in which you can see how well you like it and it likes you. If for some reason, you or your Pokemon is dissatisfied, bring them back to a Pokemon Breeding and Distribution Center, and they'll try to match you to another Pokemon. But that rarely happens, the index is pretty accurate."

"That sounds pretty nifty to me," Akane quipped. "I hope I am paired to a cute Pokemon." Mike rolled his eyes but kept himself from saying anything to offend the giant.

"Any other questions, or are you all ready to take the Trainer and Pokemon Compatibility Index?" The group nodded rapidly, so Maria had them all take a seat and pulled the tests from a nearby filing cabinet. She handed everyone a test and a pencil and instructed them to answer the questions honestly to ensure accurate results. She informed them that when they finished, they could come to her office at the end of the hall to hand her the tests. Maria Elena left and shut the door on her way out.

Mike scanned the Trainer and Pokemon Compatibility Index and read question number one. What is your favorite color? Well that was easy, red. Question number two. What do you think is your most enduring quality? Mike thought for a bit and colored in the bubble next to the word humor. Question number three. What aspect of your personality do you feel you most lack? Mike had never considered his personality lacked in anything, so he had to consult Isaac.

"Hey Isaac, what personality trait do you think I am most lacking?"

"Your inability to trust. I have known you for quite some time and there are many things you do not trust me with," Isaac answered thoughtfully while chewing on his eraser.

"Like what? I let you borrow all sorts of stuff because I TRUST that you will take care of it," Mike contended not really believing what Isaac was saying.

"You're right, you do let me borrow lots of stuff, but not the things that really matter to you like any of your PokeWorld magazines. When there is something important to be done, you can never let someone else do it, you have to do it because you don't trust people enough to get it done," Isaac highlighted Mike's personality. Mike let this new information roll around in his brain for a while to test its validity. But Mike was not going down that easy.

"Yeah, but you're not the most reliable person. I ask you to do things, you say you will, but only do them half the time. I say be here by a certain time and you're always late," Mike argued.

"You know I have problems that keep me from staying on the task at hand. Just because I falter, doesn't mean everyone else will. Your mom has never failed you. Why couldn't you believe in other people half as much as you trust your mom? I understand that your lack of faith comes from your experience with your father, but not everyone is like that," Isaac exploited his falty logic but hit an ultra sensitive spot.

"Don't bring that man up. And yes my mom has failed me; she should have gotten me away from him after the first time it happened, not 50 incidents later. So I can't trust people, are you happy?" All the painful feelings from those dark days returned, but Mike was able to keep his eyes dry this time. Michael tried returning to his test, but Isaac wasn't going leave his best friend upset and mad at him.

"I'm sorry Mikeinious. I didn't know everything, and I shouldn't have overstepped by boundaries. Are we good?" Isaac pleaded his case knowing Mike would come around. Mike drew in a deep breath and let out a long sigh.

"You know I can't stay mad at you for long. Yeah, we're good." Isaac let out a whoop of celebration. "Let's just finish this thing, okay?"

"Anything for you Mikeinious!"

"Good, because you two are really disturbing me," Akane remarked giving the boys sidelong glances before returning to her test.

"Oops sorry Akane. I was only trying to help Mike ascertain his true inner self. You know the greatest discovery a person could uncover is their true self," Isaac articulated hoping the tidbit of philosophy would convince her.

"It's okay. Why don't we implement Mike's idea of getting these things done, so we can get our Pokemon?" Isaac and Mike couldn't agreed more and began to work on their compatility indexes. When Akane saw that all was good, she turned around with a flourish and continued on her own inner journey.

Seven minutes later Isaac finished his index. Three minutes after that Akane had hers done. Twenty eight minutes later, Mike walked out of the classroom with paper in hand.

"So where are your Pokemon," inquired Mike.

"We were waiting for you to get done, so we could get them at the same time," Akane answered. "Hurry up and get your index analyzed." Mike handed his test to Maria who was previously talking to Isaac, Akane and Mrs. Gasuganomichi about how they became trainers.

"It will only take a couple of seconds for the machine to evaluate your index Mike. Why don't you all meet me at the front desk and from there, we can retrieve you Pokemon," Maria coaxed the nervous bunch. They followed her instructions and only had to wait a short time before Maria Elena met them. She led to another room which was filled with several Pokemon transporters, computers, video phones and trainers. Maria walked to an empty nearby computer and asked the group who would like to go first.

"Since your dream has always been to be a trainer, why don't you go first Mike," Akane prompted Mike who was about to burst with excitement.

"I second that idea," Isaac agreed," All in favor, say I." All four of them said 'I' in unison.

"I have to admit that is a first. Usually everyone is fighting over who will be first." Maria brought Mike's file up on the computer and announced the analysis. "Okay Michael, your results say that you seem to be most compatible with rock and ground types because of your unforgiving determination and your strong personality. The Pokemon it has selected for you is Larvitar. Is this acceptable to you?"

"A Larvitar sounds awesome. Sure I'll take it," Mike hooted with glee. Maria typed the confirmation number, hit enter and the transporter next to the computer began to hum as it delivered a red and black Pokeball. Mike picked up the Pokeball which was still warm from its travel. "Go Larvitar, I choose you!" The Pokeball opened, and a red blast of light darted out and formed the silhouette which coalesced into Larvitar. "Hey Larvitar, I'm Mike, your new trainer. How are you?"

"Lar Larvitar!"

"That's great. I can't wait to start training with you. You and me are going to the top!"

"Larvitar, Larvitar tar Larvitar." Mike noticed that the tone of Larvitar's speech went low when it said 'tar' and rose again as it said its full name.

"I think it likes you," Maria Elena remarked. "Okay, next person."

"Go ahead Isaac. Your dream is to be a trainer too, and I can wait," Akane said. Mrs. Gasuganomichi beamed a smile at her daughter for her good will.

"Hmmm, your results are most interesting Isaac. Believe it or not, the type that is less compatible with most trainers is Psychic and Dark. You seem to be compatible with both these types because you seem to be an intellectual who likes to employ strategy in your battles. The computer has picked out a psychic type for you, a Ralts. Does this seem good to you?"

"I was guessing I would be compatible with Psychic types, so I got that part right. But I was wrong on which Pokemon I would be compatible with; I guessed a Lunatone. But I think the computer is correct with the Ralts. The marvels of technology."

"See I told ya the index was accurate," Maria pointed out as she confirmed the selection. The transporter hummed again and popped out a green and yellow Pokeball. Isaac cradled the Pokeball in his hands and shut his eyes. He appeared to be contemplating a complex physics problem when suddenly his Pokeball opened, and Ralts appeared on his head.

"Ralts Ralts Ralts," it said very quickly.

"How did you do that Isaac," Mike stammered with wide eyes.

"I always wondered if that could happen. I guess I answered my own question. Ralts is a Psychic type which means it can read minds and apparently it was able to read my mind even in its Pokeball."

"Do you think you can do that again for a colleague of mine? I don't think anyone has ever done that with a starting Pokemon," Maria inquisited.

"I am sure that we can do it again. What do you think Ralts?"

"Ralts. Ra Ralts."

"Okay, when we get Akane squared away, you can perform that stunt again. Akane, your results say you are most compatible with Normal type Pokemon because you seem to really like variety and options. The Pokemon the computer chose for you is an Eevee which I think really fits the bill for you. Is this an acceptable Pokemon for you?"

"Ooooooh," she shrieked. "I love it. I can make Eevee evolve into a Jolteon or even a Vaporeon, plus Eevee is sooo cute!"

"There are no questions in my mind how well you like the computer's selection for you," Maria said as she once again confirmed the information on the computer. Akane picked up her pink and white Pokeball and called for Eevee to come forth.

"Eevee, Eevee!" Akane picked it up and hugged it tightly.

"I love you Eevee, we're going to be the best of friends!"

"Eevee, Eevee, Eevee!"

"Alright, come over here Isaac to the video phone and let me called a professor friend of mine, someone I think you all are familiar with, Dr. Ashton Ketchum. While Maria called Dr. Ketchum, Isaac got Ralts back in his Pokeball.

"Hello Ash, how are you today?"

"I am doing well Maria even though I've been busy with my research projects and the general maintenance of the facility. How do you fair today?"

"Super. I have something interesting here that I thought you should have a look at. Say hello Isaac."

"Heya Dr. Ketchum, remember me from the tour last week?"

"How could I forget you and your friend Mike. Before we get off, I would like to speak with Mike, so don't let me forget Maria."

"I'll be sure to remember. Now as you may know, Isaac just became a trainer for the first time today, and he has already shown us something marvelous that I believe no one else has ever done. Go ahead and show him Isaac." Isaac stood in front of the screen with his Pokeball resting in his open palms. He shut his eyes for several seconds and just like before, Ralts sprouted from the Pokeball and came to rest on Isaac's head.

"Now I have to agree with you Maria. This is something marvelous, but it is precedented. I know several Psychic trainers who can do feats like the one Isaac just did, but they have trained with their Pokemon for years. I don't think I've heard of a beginning trainer doing that before. Congratulations Isaac, you may have done something no one else has done before. Let me research that and I'll get back to you."

"Okay thank you Ash for you time. Now here's Mike."

"So which Pokemon did you end up with Mike?"

"I got a Larvitar, Dr. Ketchum. It's the perfect Pokemon for me," Mike exclaimed. "So what did you wanna tell me?"

"I wanted to ask you if everything went alright at the bank. I was worried that you might have trouble because you would be using an account set up by me."

"Nope, none at all. The people here are very helpful and understanding. Thank you once again for all your help. I will make you proud!"

"Ah you're welcome. There's no doubt in my mind that you will become an elite trainer, and I have a feeling you will do much more than that. One more thing Mike before I let you go. Remember what I told you about trust in your Pokemon. You cannot succeed without it. When the going gets rough, you will need to have complete trust in your Pokemon to pull through or you will not make it. Do you understand Mike?"

"Yes, I most definitely do. Isaac has already pounded in my head that I need to trust other people more. I am pretty sure that Isaac and Akane here will keep me true to that," Mike humbly replied.

"Good. I need to go and attend to some things. You all keep in touch and let me know your progress, ok?" The crew agreed to Dr. Ketchum's terms and said their goodbyes.

"Alright, I guess you guys are set to begin training. There are hundreds of trainers in this city who would be willing to battle you. Beware that most of them are not beginner trainers so inquire first. There are lots wild Pokemon in the water and the plains you can test yourselves against. They are a lot lower in level, so that might be a good place to start. And here's my final tip before I let you all leave my facility. Never, never, never, never give up. Now off you go!"

With their new Pokemon, some hefty advice and hearts full of ambition, our three friends begin on their journey of a lifetime.

After Mrs. Gasuganomichi made darn sure that Akane would be fine, she left to go back home. The trio who were now on their own were anxious to begin training. They took Maria's advice and went to the plains to look for wild Pokemon. What Maria didn't tell them was that the plains were bursting at the seams with Pokemon and trainers. They did not have much trouble finding something or someone to battle. Mike found a stubborn Rattata to battle which suited him just fine.

"Alright Larvitar, this is our first battle. Let's make it count. Weaken Rattata with your Leer and follow it up with your Bite attack," Mike shouted the initial attack sequence. Larvitar launched into action, and its eyes glowed as it prepared its Leer attack. Rattata was ready and sprang its Quick Attack against Larvitar preventing it from using Leer. Larvitar was knocked back several inches but was smart enough to try its Bite. Larvitar was able land a hit as Rattata tried its Tackle attack. The Bite attack only glanced off Rattata because of the impact of the Tackle attack.

"Back off Larvitar and let Rattata come to you. When it tries to hit you, dodge and Bite it."

"Lar Larvitar." Larvitar did as it was instructed, but Rattata was not being fooled. It employed another Quick Attack which caught Larvitar off guard and knocked her end over end. It appeared to Mike that Larvitar was hurt but wasn't ready to give up yet.

"Focus Larvitar and be prepared to dodge anything that comes your way." Larvitar squared her shoulders and watched intensely at Rattata's next move. Rattata executed a Tail Whip to weaken Larvitar.

"Move out of the way of Rattata's Tail Whip and use Leer now Larvitar and go in for a Bite Attack!" Yellow beams shot from Larvitar's eyes and landed on Rattata as Larvitar swerved away from the Tail Whip. Larvitar then charged toward Rattata hoping to finally get in a successful attack, but Rattata was too quick. Rattata swerved out of the way and used its Tackle attack to knock Larvitar on its back. Seeing that it had won, Rattata marched away from the opened mouth trainer.

"Are you alright Larvitar," Mike cried as he rushed to the Pokemon's side. Mike picked up Larvitar in his arms and comforted his defeated Pokemon. "It's okay Larvitar. You did well for your first battle, and I am proud of you. It's time for you to rest a while." Mike pulled out his Pokeball and had Larvitar to return. Mike thought for surely he would win, but he figured Larvitar and him needed more experience. He went off to find his two other companions to see how they were fairing.

After walking for about 20 minutes, Mike still couldn't find Isaac or Akane. He thought for surely they would be remotely in the same vicinity. He strolled over the small hill and saw Akane sitting underneath a large tree with someone other than Isaac. Mike thought that it was odd that Akane wasn't clinging to Isaac or cheerleading him from the sidelines. When Mike got close enough to Akane, he noticed that the other person was a girl. He also noticed that she was kind of cute.

"Oh hey Mike. I want you to meet Mercedes; she is a trainer, philosopher and hopes one day to become a famous researcher like Dr. Ketchum. Mercedes, this is Mike, an adamant trainer."

"And I would like to add that my dreams are to become the 1 trainer in the world," Mike said impressively.

"Doesn't every trainer hope to be the 1 trainer? Not a very original dream if you ask me," Mercedes tartly replied. Mike didn't know what else to say to her, so he fumbled around with his Pokegear strap.

"Did you find a Pokemon to battle with Mike," Akane asked trying to break the haunting silence.

"Yeah I found a Rattata to fight with, but...um...we kinda lost. I think it was a bit too strong for Larvitar to handle," Mike answered and sat down next to Akane.

"Amateur mistake. Only a fool would battle something he couldn't defeat," Mercedes crudely stated. Mike was baffled as to why Mercedes was being so mean to him. What did he ever do to her? He made a mental note to ask Akane later.

"Do you know where Isaac's at?" Mike asked directing his question to Akane hoping Mercedes wouldn't butt in with another rude remark.

"Nah, I was about to ask you the same thing. I haven't seen him since we split up."

"That's really bad if you don't know where Isaac is at. I figured you two would be close by."

"Do you think a woman's only job is to hang onto a man? We women do not need a man for anything. We can survive just fine without men," Mercedes glared at Mike as she defended her gender. Mike had enough of her filth and decided to confront her.

"What is your problem with me? I have not done anything to you, yet you treat me like crap for no reason!"

"You're a male; that's my problem. You come over here thinking you're so great because you want to be 1, but you're like the biggest loser in my book," Mercedes sneered in disgust at the male peon.

"Three words for you. Get over it." Mike stood up in protest and told Akane he was going to look for Isaac and would meet up with her later. Mike spun on his heels and strode away from his assailant. He refused to be treated like a criminal and to stay and be abused. Mike had already been in that situation before and wasn't going to subject himself to such punishment. Mike began to think of why she hated men so much especially him. He had done nothing wrong. She attacked him without provocation. Maybe she had been abused like he had or been in a really sour relationship. Whatever the reason, it was not enough to justify her treatment of him. Mike realized he had to let it go and focus on the important things.

After looking for an hour and asking many trainers if they had battled or seen Isaac, Mike's search came up short. Where could that boy possibly be? A lightning of an idea struck his mind. Why don't he just call Isaac and ask him where he is at? It would sure beat wondering around outside like a noseless Nosepass. One ring, no answer. Two rings, no answer. Three rings, still no answer. Mike was getting worried. Four rings, and a familiar voice greeted him.

"Where are you at Isaac? I have been looking all over for you and can't find you. I found Akane easily and thought you would be near her, but you wasn't anywhere in sight," Mike yelled in frustration.

"I'm back in town in a hotel lobby watching this really nifty card game. You must join us Mikeinious," came the unconcerned reply.

"What the freak are you doing in town? You're supposed to be out here training. Am I the only one who has battled today?"

"Has Akane not battled that girl yet?"

"You mean a girl with long blonde hair and brown puppy dog eyes?"

"Yes that would be the one. Akane met her shortly after you left, and they seemed to know each other quite well," Isaac informed his best buddy.

"Her name is Mercedes. She's evil. Like spawn of Satan evil. No matter what I said, she turned it around and made me look like I was 3 inches tall," Mike complained as he turned himself around to head back toward Cerulean City.

"That is most definitely the girl. She started going off on me as well, so I left to find me a trainer to battle. I found some nerd with something to prove and beat him at his own game. Very rewarding."

"How could you ditch Akane without me, that wasn't very wise of you," Mike joked but continued, "But that's great Isaac that you won, but not everyone won the gold today. Larvitar and I lost against a stinking Rattata. I thought these vermin were easy to beat, but I learned the hard way," Mike recaptured the day's events.

"Me very sorry. But if you come to the..." a pause came over the wire as Isaac asked what hotel they were in, "The Hindman Hotel on the corner of Rink-a-Dink Avenue and Solare Street, you would be very much happy. You gotta see this game they're playing, it so utterly nifty," Isaac cheered. Mike could see him bouncing around with excitement.

"What's the name of the game and why is it so 'utterly nifty' for?"

"It's called Duel Monsters, and it's nifty because there is a lot of strategy involved. It has three types of cards: monster, trap and magic cards. Monster cards are beings who can attack and defend and some of them have their own special abilities. Each monsters has its own type that gives it strengths and weaknesses to other monsters, sort of like Pokemon. Magic cards have various effects such as increasing the power of a Pokemon or attacking your opponent directly. Trap cards are the niftiest. They are placed faced down, so your opponent doesn't know what kind of card it is. When an opponent attacks or whatever fulfills the requirements on the trap card, you flip it over and nullify their move. They can even kill a monster outright."

"Uh huh. Well I'll see if I can't make it over there soon. I have a pretty good walk until I reach a road and hopefully I can hail a taxi or take a subway. If you don't seem me in an hour or so, call me. Then again, why am I asking you to remember something. I'll see ya later," Mike replied increasing his pace tenfold.

"Alrighty Mikeinious. I shall see you when you get here. By the way, I have already got us rooms here, so you don't need to worry about that."

"I am surprised at you Isaac. You actually thought ahead for once. I am really at a loss for words," Mike gasped.

"Wellll, Akane makes sure I take my medication everyday, so I don't have too many ADD moments anymore."

"I'm going to miss the old Isaac. May he rest in peace," Mike jested.

"Ha ha. Oh, the match is over and now it's my turn to play. Hurry up and get here," Isaac encouraged as he received a deck of cards from a new acquaintance.

"I'm walking as fast as I can. Alright, I'll let you go, buh bye." After he had hung up the phone, he decided to call home to make sure his mom was okay. They had a pleasant conversation, and she was happy to know that all was going well for her son. Mrs. Masolbull told her son that Mark hadn't returned and that she had bumped up the security on the house just in case he did. Mike felt relieved to hear that because deep down he was worried that his father would come back sober and hurt his mommy really bad. Unfortunately, they had to cut their conversation short because she had to go to bed, for she had to get up early in the morning for work.

By now Mike had arrived in Cerulean City and was looking for quick transportation to the Hindman Hotel. Since he had no clue where Solare and Rink-a-Dink streets were, Mike asked a passerby if he knew. A gentleman kindly offered to take Mike there in his car, but Mike was hesitant to go with him because he figured this guy might be a psycho. Mike politely declined and asked for directions and the fastest way to get there. The gentleman sat down with Mike, drew him a map and marked his route to the Hindman Hotel. The man informed him that it wasn't that far away, and Mike should make it there in about 15 minutes. Mike rejoiced at the good news and set off at once for the hotel. True to the gentleman's information, Mike arrived at the hotel in almost exactly 15 minutes. It's uncanny how well people can know a city, Mike wondered to himself. He strolled through the large glass doors with bronze trimming and into an immaculate lobby complete with a restaurant, gift shop and a gorgeous winding wooden staircase. Mike scanned the thick crowd for evidence of Isaac's presence and discovered a group of teenagers in a waiting room off to his left. He could hear them chattering wildly but couldn't discern exactly what they were saying. As he moved closer, he could see Isaac sitting at a marble table carved with intertwining lines. Across from Isaac was a short geeky child with big round glasses and bugs printed on his shirt.

"So are you winning Isaac?"

"There you are. You have missed all the fun," Isaac exclaimed.

"And what fun would that be? Pink elephants dancing in concentric circles while balances big red rubber balls on their noses," Mike responded getting back his spunk.

"Ah yes. They left about 5 minutes before your arrival. I told you to hurry Mike. You never listen to me," Isaac replied shrugging his shoulders in mock disbelief.

"It's my curse. You have ADD; I have a curse that prevents us from enjoying the finer things in life. So are you winning?" Mike removed his Pokegear and somehow squeezed a chair in next to Isaac.

"Not technically, I am not. You see, the point of this game is to reduce your opponents life points to zero. As you can see, he has 2100 and I only have 850. But I kinda accidentally played a really strong magic card that beefs up my monster's attack rating by a 1000 points which is a whole lot in this game," Isaac explained pointing to the card. Mike saw it was a green card with a picture of an axe that was dripping blood. "Now my opponent is trying to figure a way to get around my uber monster. You see he has one monster left and after I kill it, I can attack him directly and win."

"He doesn't look too happy about that fact either. In fact, he seems pretty hacked about it," Mike ventured and received a scowl from Isaac's opponent.

"As it so happens, my opponent, Weevil, is an expert Duel Monsters player and especially doesn't like newbies beating him," Isaac enlightened as Mike looked at Isaac's hand and tried to figure out what the function of all the cards were.

"I hope you beat him Isaac because Weevil is a dirty, underhanded cheater," exclaimed a girl on the other side of Isaac. She was well built and had short brown hair that was level against her chin line.

"Hehe, you wish. I will never lose to such a pathetic player," Weevil sneered and then threw back his head and laughed. "I would have beaten him a long time ago if it wasn't for your help little girl."

"Who you calling little, you pint sized cricket. Isaac is going to squash you like the bug you are," the girl argued back.

"Oh Mike, this is Taa. She is friends with the number one Duel Monsters player and has helped me build a strategy against Weevil. She was also nice enough to lend me her deck, so I could learn how to play. Taa, this is my best friend Mike, the one I told you about," Isaac explained as he introduced them.

"What exactly have you been telling her about me," Mike inquired.

"All the bad things."

"No he hasn't; don't listen to him, Mike. Isaac has told me about your dream to becoming a Pokemon trainer and how you became a trainer. It was fascinating to hear how someone as prestigious as Dr. Ketchum is sponsoring you," Taa responded nudging Isaac's shoulder playfully. "Once Isaac beats Weevil, I can show you how to play."

"No thanks. I wanted to concentrate on training with my Larvitar because I lost my first fight this afternoon," Mike replied yawning from the day's adventures.

"Yeah I guess you have your dream to fulfill and probably want to use all you energies for that. I agree with Isaac that you'll be a fine trainer, you just have to take it day by day," Taa said trying to uplift Mike's spirits.

"If the meet and greet is over, I would like to continue my victory," Weevil announced and laughed again. "I will switch my monster into defense mode, lay a second monster face down and put this card face down as well." Weevil snickered knowing that no matter what Isaac did, he was going to lose his powered up monster. Taa explained to Mike that Weevil switched his monster into defense mode so when Isaac killed that monster, it wouldn't hurt his life points any. Second, the monster he placed face down could have a special ability that would be activated when attacked and flipped face up. Third, the card he placed face down could be a trap or magic card that could do a number of effects.

"Ah I see. So exactly how can Isaac decrease his life points," Mike pondered, obviously a bit confused.

"Well before when Weevil had only one monster in attack mode, Isaac could attack it and lower his life points and if Weevil couldn't put another monster on the field, Isaac could attack him directly and win. The amount of life points lost is the number of attack points of the attacking monster minus the attack points of the other monster in attack mode. If the monster is in defense mode, the attacking monster's attack points would have to be higher that its defense points to kill it. Isaac can easily kill Weevil's monster, but he has that card face down and it could be a powerful trap card," Taa continued to explain.

"Are you going to update him on every play and slow down my victory?" Weevil complained getting irritated at Taa. "Just make your move Isaac, so I can win and prove how much of a loser you are."

"Don't mind him Isaac," Taa advised and leaned close to Isaac's ear to whisper the next gambit. Before she could say her first word, Isaac boldly stated his move.

"I will see your 100 and raise you 1000 more."

"I am no expert at Duel Monsters, but I am pretty sure you are unable to do that," Mike said overstating the obvious. Isaac raised his eyebrows, a common sign that Isaac knew exactly what he was doing.

"Can you handle the pressure Weevil, or do you want to quit now while you're ahead," Isaac instigated trying push Weevil over the edge.

"What are you talking about you fool. This is Duel Monsters, not poker," Weevil insisted his voice rising in frustration. "Make your move now," he shouted.

"What I am talking about is that we up the stakes a little. Instead of betting 100 dollars each, let's bet 1000 dollars. Ready to put your money where your mouth is Weevil," Isaac taunted.

"Alright Isaac, put that insect back on its rightful place on the food chain," Taa chimed in.

"I don't know what's going on, but I know this: Isaac's going to win," Mike nonchalantly said.

"I guess you think you're something because you have Taa at your side, but I will not be fooled by trickery. I wrote the book on schemes and tricks. I accept your new wager; now we'll see who's the better duelist," Weevil said appearing not to be backing down at all. "Move."

"I play this magic card, Ookazi which directly inflicts 800 damage to your life points. Next I will summon Fairy Magic Guardian in defense mode. Her special ability allows me to retrieve one magic card from my graveyard when she is summoned on the field. I choose Ookazi and play it again and lower your life points to 500. I lay this card face down and end my turn." All was silent except for the grumblings heard from Weevil's direction. His face was contorted in anger at losing 1600 life points in a single turn by a self professed newbie. Weevil could feel his blood boiling at the antics displayed before him but refused to be showed up by an amateur. Weevil would show him a thing or two about deceit and misleads.

"Hmph. You think you can fool me with your betting bluff and loser tactics, but you haven't won yet," Weevil countered as he put back on his game face. "I take my draw." Weevil looked at his card and chuckled inside. This card would put an end to this boy's foolishness, but he had to wait to place it. "Next I will flip summon my face down monster card to reveal Man Eater Bug which allows me to destroy one of your monsters. I choose to kill your powered up La Djinn, Mystical Genie of the Lamp," Weevil roared with glee.

"I thought that card might be the Man Eater Bug card, so I prepared ahead of time. Reveal trap card Superberry Defense. This card allows me to nullify an attack or ability that designates one target, so my La Djinn is perfectly safe," Isaac proclaimed.

"Safe for now," Weevil instantly countered. "I place another card face down and end my turn." One more move, and he's bug food, Weevil thought to himself. Before starting his turn, Isaac paused for several seconds, so his next move would be heard by all.

"It's all over Weevil. My next move will leave you defenseless and defeated." Oohs and aahs resonated throughout the crowd of teenagers. Weevil looked like he was about to take off and run, but two older boys positioned themselves directly behind Weevil. "I summon Beaver Warrior in attack mode. Next I switch my Fairy Magic Guardian to attack mode. I will play the card known as Mystra's Magic which destroys all magic and trap cards on the field at the expense of 500 life points. Now you have no traps to protect you from the inevitable. Fairy Magic Guardian attack Man Eater Bug. La Djinn attack his Empress Mantis, and Beaver Warrior attack him directly to win the match." With that, Isaac stood up and bowed toward the eager crowd. They clapped and cheered wildly at the unsuspecting turn of events. Weevil began to scream frantically that Isaac had somehow cheated and wanted a rematch.

"Oh shut up Weevil. You got your just desserts," Taa commanded. The two older boys made sure Weevil paid Isaac the 1000 dollars and escorted him out of the lobby.

"I don't know how you do it Isaac, but you amaze me everytime you do it. I bet you could pull a Vulpix out of your backpocket if you wanted to," Mike commented as he patted Isaac's back.

"That was some terrific dueling Isaac even for a so-called expert like Weevil. We won't be seeing him for a long while," Taa congratulated. "Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving to the point I'm about to chew off my arm."

"Yeah well, you know me," Isaac replied sheepishly. "But I have to say I like Taa's idea. Her arm looks extremely delicious right now. Is it baked, broiled, fried or rotisserie?"

"You're kidding right?" Taa asked backing away from Isaac.

"That's Isaac's weird humor kicking in, so he can avoid all this attention," Mike explained as he picked up his Pokegear. "I think we should go eat at the delicatessen I saw on the way here. It smelled so good as I walked by."

"Ah yes the Corphish Café has the best sandwiches in Kanto. They make a Mediterranean one that is to die for," Taa daydreamed as she smacked her lips together.

"Then let's go and quit diddling about," Isaac suggested hoping to get away from the chaos. "Lead the way Mikeinious!" Mike did have his own special ability, but it wasn't innate like Isaac's world bending ability. Mike knew how to zig zag through crowded hallways and marshes of people and employed that ability to get Isaac and Taa through the lobby and out the door. When they got to the café, Isaac decided to update Akane and let her know if she wanted to come eat with them. Of course Akane wouldn't pass up a chance to hang with Isaac, so she met up with the group minutes later alone.

"So where's the man hater Akane," Mike inquired.

"She had to go meet with some of her friends," Akane answered viewing the menu.

"So there's a convention of man haters going on. Tell me where they're at so we won't run into them," Mike scantily said.

"She's not as bad as you think Mike. You have to understand where she is coming from," convinced Akane.

"No I don't have to understand where she's coming from. I don't care what happened to her. There was no need for her to be mean to me simply because I am a male," Mike snapped and realized that Taa was still with them, so he dropped the subject. He didn't need another woman ready to kill him. Taa was actually nice and even pleasant looking, a combination Mike hadn't seen in a while. "Sorry Akane. It just bugs me that she could hate me so much."

"I don't blame you for how you acted Mike. Mercedes is hurting from a failed relationship she had with a guy, so hopefully that can help you to understand why she acts the way she does," Akane filled in the missing details as Mike listened intently.

"I know what it is like to have a someone screw up your entire world," Mike related, his voice dropping low from the memories. "So just let her know, she's not alone."

"Aaaawww." Akane commiserated with Mike and put her arm around his shoulders and gave him a side hug. It was in that moment that Mike realized Akane's true character. He had missed it all along even though it was right in front of him. Mike knew he had misjudged her wrongfully and made her his scapegoat simply because he thought she was going to take Isaac away from him. Mike had to laugh at himself at his foolishness, like Isaac would really ditched him for Akane.

"Thank you Akane. You're a really great person, and I do not think I've ever given you a chance. So, let's start all over. Hi, I'm Mike Masolbull, Pokemon enthusiast." Akane grinned from elephant ear to elephant ear.

"And I'm Akane Gasuganomichi," she paused as her mind went blank. She couldn't create an appropriate title for herself, but Isaac came to the rescue.

"Nurse and medication reminder galore." Isaac, Akane and Mike had a heavy chuckle leaving poor Taa in the dark.

"I'm sorry Taa, I guess we need to fill you in on Isaac's debilitating disease," Mike gasped as his sides continued to jiggle.

"That's okay. I like to only know the good things about people anyway," Taa hesitantly said not wanting to be the odd ball out.

"No no, you must know this. It's completely hilarious and will probably help explain some of Isaac's actions," Mike attempted to talk as the glee overtook him.

"Since Mike seems to be incapacitated, I tell you," Isaac stated, completely recovering from the laughter that had turned his two friends into incontinent nut cases. "Plus I think I am the expert on it because I have this...problem. I have trouble concentrating on any one thing and if you haven't noticed, my conversations seem to change topics quite frequently. I tend to be very forgetful and oblivious to my surroundings. I owe all that to being diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder. Luckily, Akane has been there to make sure I take my medication, so my mind is more clear which explains the title I just gave her."

"Oh, I see. Well I haven't noticed any absentminded ramblings, nor do I think you're oblivious to your environment. You showed great concentration during your duel with Weevil, so I guess I would have to see it first hand to understand," Taa observed noticing the employee standing there patiently, waiting for them to order. "Besides, I believe we came here to get food, and I think we've made that poor boy wait long enough. I'll have the Pesto Garlic Delight with a side of cheese fries and a vanilla milkshake to drink." Akane and Mike, realizing how stupid they looked laying on the ground, got up and placed their order. Then it came time for Isaac to order.

"Hmmmm, what's on the Humus and Cheese sandwich," Isaac inquired after a long moment of studying the menu.

"Humus and cheese," the employee replied.

"I see. What about the Orange Ruffie Bisque?"

"It is a grilled fillet of Orange Ruffie, with our special sauce all on a homemade biscuit," the boy quoted.

"What's on the..."

"Quite torturing the poor boy and just make an order Isaac," Mike demanded saving the group an hour of pain and agony.

"In that case, I'll have the Sea Captain's Platter and Lemonade to drink." The employee read back the order as previously instructed and reported the total. Akane quickly butted in and paid the bill as everyone began to argue that they should be the one to pay it.

"Next time I got the tab. You've done enough Akane," Mike asserted his financial authority. When he saw that no one wished to dethrone him, he got his cup and beverage. The quartet picked up their food and found a quiet booth next to the large windows. They sat down and discussed everything they had done that day, and Taa got a taste on a little of Isaac's ADD as he dominated the conversation with multiple incongruent topics.

The sun had long since gone down when the group exited the café. Black circles could be seen underneath their eyes as exhaustion seeped its way through the skin. Taa informed them that she would be leaving tomorrow to go to the regional Duel Monsters Tournament in Viridian City and wished them all good luck. Isaac, Mike and Akane reciprocated the same wishes to Taa before they parted ways and sulked back to the hotel. They checked into their individual rooms that were all right next to each other just as Isaac requested. The rooms were lavish and had everything a person could want: refrigerator, stove, microwave, television with satellite, video games, fold out ironing board, satin downy pillows on the bed and a full length mirror.

Mike moaned a sigh of relief as he took off his shoes and sunk them deep into the soft carpet. His feet ached from all the walking, and his shoulders screamed similar pains from carrying his Pokegear. All he wanted to do was go to sleep but made himself shower before he crawled into the bed. He imagined he was hiding in a warm protective cocoon as he began the sleeping process. Mike's last thought before the nocturnal phase fully kicked in was of the day he would be declared the number one trainer throughout the world.

In most cases I have tried to stick to the rules as much as possible and use real cards from the Yu Gi Oh game. But sometimes, I can't remember the rules or a certain card, so I have to change some things like the Fairy Magic Guardian's special move and make up other things like the card Superberry Defense and Mystra's Magic which don't actually exist.


	3. Black Hearts and White Crosses

CHAPTER THREE

BLACK HEARTS AND WHITE CROSSES

Mike caressed the red and black Pokeball and remembered all the events that had led him to this moment in time. It had been almost a month since Dr. Ketchum declared that he would financially support Mike's journey. Mike couldn't believe how fast the time had gone by or how much things had changed. One day he was an average high schooler, the next day he was a Pokemon trainer. Mike shook his head to get his mind back to reality. He again marveled at the Pokeball in his hands before he commanded his Larvitar to come out.

"Lar Larvitar," she exclaimed as she viewed her new surroundings.

"We got a long day ahead of us Larvitar. We got a tedious training schedule ahead of us and if we are going to make it, we'll need some hearty nutrition first. I have a wide selection of Pokemon pellets for you to choose from, so which would you like," Mike informed Larvitar as he spread out the day's choices on the bed. Larvitar rummaged through the goodies until her nose discovered a patch of multi-grain pellets.

"Larvitar Larvitar." She signaled to her master her selection for the day. Mike grinned as he gathered up the multi-grain pellets and placed them in a dish along with a bowl of a specially made Pokemon energy drink. Larvitar popped the pellets in her maw and swallowed them whole, picked up the bowl and slurped down the energy drink.

"Wow, I didn't realize you were so hungry. Let me get you seconds," Mike mused as he refilled both the dish and the bowl. Again, Larvitar scarfed down the pellets and energy drink. Larvitar clamored the plastic dishes together signaling that she wanted a third helping. Mike commented that she was going to put him in the red if he had to keep feeding her like this. Mike promptly refilled the dishes again and returned to what was left of his own breakfast. He took the last bite of his Wurmple Forest Munchies Cereal and began to clean up his mess.

"Are you done eating yet Larvitar?" Larvitar clapped her hands together in satisfaction for the fine cuisine. Mike bent over and picked up the dishes and realized Larvitar licked them both clean. Well, that's one thing less to do, Mike thought to himself. He glanced outside to get a hint at what the weather was like. Mike was greeted by angry storm clouds and feeling of disappointment.

"I guess we're hitting the gym today Larvitar unless you really wanna duel out in the rain," Mike teased as Larvitar violently shook his head back and forth. "I'm only kidding. Besides, I think the gym will do us both good considering our horrible loss yesterday." Larvitar's head tilted toward the ground in shame.

"It wasn't your fault Larvitar. We are both newbies at dueling and it will take us probably many more duels before we win one. So don't worry about it because I have a feeling that our luck is about to change." As soon as Mike finished that sentence, a booming crack of thunder shook the room and rattled the windows. Larvitar scurried underneath the bed, taking cover from the unseen enemy. Mike had to laugh at himself for two reasons. One was because his heart was racing with the adrenaline burst and two because he should have known better than to comment that his luck was going to improve. He mentally shook his fist to the unknown forces that had cursed him.

"It's okay Larvitar, it's only thunder. It won't hurt you. Come to think of it, neither will the lightning since you are a ground type. You have nothing to fear," Mike soothed as he cuddled his trembling friend. "If we don't move it, we are going to be late. We gotta meet Isaac and Akane in the lobby." He hefted his Pokegear on his back, checked to make sure he had his room key and bolted out of the room. To get the blood flowing, Mike decided to take the stairs down to the lobby but unbeknown to him was that Larvitar had never encountered stairs before. Mike was already at the landing when he realized that Larvitar wasn't shadowing him. He looked up to see his Pokemon puzzled as to how to descend on the bumpy and uneven ramp.

"Take one foot and put it on the first step and then lift your back foot and put it on the next time. If you need to, hold on to the railing for support." As much as Mike wanted to carry Larvitar, he realized that he needed to build her confidence by allowing her to learn skills on her own. Mike watched painstakingly as Larvitar cautiously set her foot down on the first step. She hesitated as to what to do next. She gripped the railing like a lifeline and looked toward Mike for support.

"Now take your back foot and try to place it on the second step," Mike instructed and urged. Larvitar raised her back leg and slowly inched it toward the next step. As her weight shifted to the new leg, Larvitar lunged forward and would have tumbled down the stairs if she would not have wrapped her tail around the railing.

"If you keep your feet moving, you won't have to worry about falling because your front foot will always catch you."

"Lar Lar," she stated weakly.

"It's only one flight of stairs, you can do it." Larvitar reassured herself on her connection with the railing and took another step. It was slow and awkward but better than the last one. Feeling a slight bit of confidence, Larvitar began a meager pace down the stairs. Mike gazed in anticipation for when Larvitar would reach the landing. When Larvitar finally joined Mike's side, he picked her up and twirled her around in celebration.

"That was awesome Larvitar, I knew you could do it. You have one set of stairs left to go." Mike, full of joy, slid down the banister to wait for his friend at the bottom. Larvitar noticing that this was the better route down followed her trainer's path.

"Looks like you learned two things this morning and we haven't even left the hotel!"

"Larvitar tar!" Not wanting to keep Isaac and Akane waiting any longer, Mike swiftly jogged down the hallway rounded the corner to the lobby.

"There you are Mikeinious, what took you so long," Isaac inquired as he saw Mike entered the lavish lobby.

"Believe it or not, I had teach Larvitar to walk down stairs plus she decided she was about enter hibernation and ate accordingly."

"Ah eye sea. Anywho, I don't believe we'll be able to train much today due to the ungodly weather that is upon us."

"Nonsense," Mike replied, "we can got to the Pokemon gym and work out. It will be a great place to improve our physical abilities besides Larvitar had three bowls of energy drink and needs to use those calories wisely.

"I couldn't agree with you more. I am wanting to increase Ralts's strength and constitution. You know how much Psychic types are lacking in those areas."

"Where is you absentee girlfriend?" Isaac's eyes glazed over at another friendly insinuation of his supposed relationship with Akane.

"Akane, who only acts as my nurse, is buying clothes for her Eevee in the gift shop."

"And is ex officio as your lover," Mike pretended to sneeze as he saw Akane approach them. She investigated the boys' faces because her instinct told her they had been talking about her. Mike and Isaac stood blunt faced, showing no emotion like an executioner delivering the fatal blow. Akane ignored the suspicion and displayed her fashionable Eevee which was wearing a bright yellow scarf, a red feathery shirt, blue streamers from both ears and a gold bow on its tail.

"Scared you are gonna lose your Eevee in a crowd," Mike asked as he spied the flamboyant Pokemon.

"Doesn't she look so cute," Akane squealed as she hugged Eevee to the point of suffocation. I don't think she is taking this trainer ordeal very seriously. Maybe Isaac will knock some sense into her but what are the chances of that happening, Mike thought to himself. "And I am not scared of losing my precious Eevee; I feel she deserves to look as cute as she can be.

"Are you ever going to become normal," Mike questioned.

"Are you," Akane replied with a flash in her eyes.

Was that anger, Mike thought. Nah, Akane doesn't have an angry bone in her body but i would really like to know what is taking up all that space. "I will as soon as Isaac remembers the location of important items like his wallet."

"Hey, that's not nice. It's not my fault," Isaac whined. "By the way, it's in the third back pocket of my Pokegear."

"You just made that up to cover yourself," Mike teased.

"I did no such thing. I put it in there about 30 seconds before you came around the corner because I had to buy a map of the city."

"So, if I check right now, you would have no problem with that."

"Not at all." Isaac beamed a smile at Mike; Akane had a goofy grin as well.

"Okay, I believe you besides it's not my money. So does your map tell us how to get to the Pokemon Gym."

"Let me check." Isaac sat down on a nearby bench in the shape of an Octillery. Mike and Akane relaxed next to Isaac as he opened the map and stretched it over all three of their laps. They scowered the miniaturized graphic of Cerulean City.

"Does anybody see it yet," Akane asked.

"I believe if we had, we would have said something by now," Mike annoyingly replied. "There is no way we are going to find it because there are too many building."

"Found it!" Isaac exclaimed. Akane clapped her hands in glee.

"How did you find it so quick?"

"Simple my friend. I consulted the map key," Isaac calmly said pointing to the legend on the bottom right-hand corner of the map. Mike let loose a painful sigh. "Here's the funny part. Look where it is in relation to the hotel." Akane and Mike discovered what Isaac was pointing at.

"You've got to be kidding me," Mike exasperated. Sure enough, the gym was clear across on the other side of the city.

"Akane, I think we should leave Mike here for today. His luck is apparently acting out."

"Don't worry guys, we can make it there rain or no rain. I think in a city this big, we should be able to hail a cab," Akane said with one finger on her chin as if in deep thought. The trio packed up the map, grabbed their belongings and headed through the double glass doors. Once outside, they noticed that the rain had become a dreary drizzle but were kept dry by the spacious canopy. The doorman assisted them with obtaining a cab and off they went to the Pokemon Gym.

After receiving the grand tour of the gym, Akane, Isaac and Mike set forth in their Pokemon training. Akane decided to build Eevee's endurance, so they began their training on the treadmills. Mike and Isaac had other ideas. They were facing opposite of each other in a large domed room with the floor covered in thick spongy mats. Ralts and Larvitar were standing in front of their respective trainers eyeing the other down.

"You ready Mike."

"Whenever you are. Go ahead and start"

"I am going to have Ralts repeatedly use Growl and Confusion. Let me know Larvitar if it becomes too much for you." Larvitar nodded her head. "Go Ralts and use Growl and Confusion repeatedly."

"Resist them as best as you can," Mike urged. Three black bands hit Larvitar but dissipated as soon as they struck her hard flesh. Immediately the air around Larvitar became distorted and Larvitar's eyes spun. Another set of black bands radiated from Ralts and sunk deep into her body. Again the air bent around Larvitar's body sending her into an oblivion. Larvitar roared as she toppled over.

"Hold your attacks Ralts. Is she going to be alright?" Mike leaned over his fallen Pokemon checking her symptoms.

"She's a bit woozy. She needs a moment to recover." Mike waited a minute as Larvitar's eyes displayed her vitality. "How are you feeling Larvitar?"

"Laaar," was the weak reply.

"Try to stand up, it will help you orient yourself again." Larvitar made several attempts before she could support her weight without Mike's help.

"Larvitar Larvitar," came the cry.

"I see that you are better now. When did you start to feel to lose your grip on reality." Larvitar went on a spill of repetitive sounds of its own name. "So you say that even though the second growl did not hurt you physically but made you weak enough to where you could not resist the second confusion." Larvitar bounced up and down to show her approval of Mike's interpretation.

"It appears that Larvitar cannot handle more than two psychic based moves before feinting. It would be wise to remember that," Isaac observed out loud as he and Ralts walked next to Mike.

"It's all about limits Isaac. Time to test yours. Ready to pound the psychic out of Isaac's Ralts," Mike proudly stated as he turned back towards his best friend.

"You ready Ralts?"

"Ra Ralts!"

"Same as before Mike except you are going to repeatedly use Tackle on Ralts."

"Go Larvitar and use Tackle." Larvitar leapt into action by charging towards Ralts and plummeting head first into Ralts's chest. Ralts doubled over backwards in mid air. The second blow arrived a split second later as Larvitar jumped to catch Ralts in mid flight. The spike on Larvitar's head slammed into Ralts's back causing him to flip again. Ralts landed on his two feet and managed to strike a defensive pose as Larvitar lunged at Ralts this time using her shoulder to execute the attack. The result of the third tackle left Ralts crumpled in an awkward pile of torso and limbs.

"Stop Larvitar," Mike shouted. Larvitar complied with the command and went to preview the damage. Isaac was quickly at his beloved Pokemon's side.

"Ralts, are you okay." No reply. Isaac rolled Ralts on his back and checked for injuries. Ralts's eyes were closed but Isaac detected faint breathing.

"I have some healing herbs Isaac," Mike said with caution in his voice. "Isaac?"

"I think Ralts will be fine. He has been talking to me telepathically. He says your Larvitar's tackle can be compared to an on-coming train." Mike had to laugh at the similarity between Ralts and Isaac on their humor. Larvitar patted Ralts on the head to show that she had no hard feelings. Isaac returned Ralts to his Pokeball and stood up from his crouching position. "Three tackles, not bad. Not bad at all. I figured as much."

"I thought for surely after the second tackle attack that Ralts would be finished. I think it was his speed that saved him," Mike mused.

"Could be. I would like to believe it was mind over matter. See, Ralts has been mentally preparing himself all morning for this duel, and I think that preparation helped him nullify some of the damage from your Larvitar. That is why I suggested that we work on our weaknesses since our Pokemon are basically polar opposites; yours has immense strength and defense while mine has speed and intellect."

"How do you think of this stuff Isaac? I mean how do I harness those skills in Larvitar."

"For me, I knew that Ralts is not capable of sustaining physical damage and had to figure some way around it. I also knew that Ralts's mental capacities are immeasurable. Then I remembered a show I watched a couple of weeks ago, where this magician sat in a tub of sub zero water for 6 hours. That's where I got the idea to use mind over matter or using Ralts's strengths to overcome, or minimized in this case, his weaknesses. You are going to have to discover your own ways with Larvitar." Mike was silent as he processed the information. Isaac was a brilliant person who could always see a different path around an obstacle that most people wouldn't.

"How is Larvitar supposed to overcome an attack that directly targets her mind?"

"Even if I knew, I would not tell you because you have to learn on your own. It's part of becoming a trainer Mike." Isaac patted Mike's back as he saw the disappointed look on his face.

"I guess you're right. It's frustrating for me to see how you always succeed at everything you do while I constantly falter at every step."

"Not always Mike."

"Pokemon, Duel Monsters, chess, math, any foreign language, Mah Johng and let's not forget underwater basket weaving," Mike joked trying to pull himself from his self pity.

"This is a silly example but I think it fits. Remember the game Street Fighter?" Mike nodded. "Ken and Ryu are like you and me. Ken had the natural talent and learned everything quicker than Ryu. But Ryu had more discipline and yearning to be great while Ken liked to goof off and have fun. See where I am going with this?" Mike contemplated Isaac's words and inventoried every fiber in his being to invalidate Isaac's point. No solace came to him. "Come on Mike, let's go find Akane. Maybe you'll get a good laugh watching her run on the treadmills!"

"Good afternoon Dr. Ketchum," Mike shouted through the microphone.

"How are you dear boy? Taking good care of Larvitar?"

"I sure am," Mike replied as he leaned back in his chair at the Pokemon Center; his two cohorts were seated beside him. "I am struggling a bit though with my training. It seems that I haven't won a match yet. Isaac on the other hand has won 5 in a row even Akane has won a match."

"Don't despair my fine lad. Keep up the work and it will surely pay off," Dr. Ketchum encouraged his young protégée. "How are you Isaac and Akane? I hope the day brings you well."

"I have learned an interesting way to reduce physical damage to Ralts but my technique needs more work," Isaac informed the professor.

"Eevee and I are doing great," exclaimed Akane. "We have been working on endurance training. Already we can run one mile without stopping."

"Good news is pleasant to the hears as the smell of Bellossom is to the nose. Glad to find you all in good cheer. Now tell me Mike about your battles and what went wrong," Dr. Ketchum replied. Mike proceeded to inform him of the duels he had over the past week. "Why do you think you lost those duels?"

"I don't know Dr. Ketchum. I feel as though nothing I try works."

"My suggestion to you Mike is that you need to consult with Larvitar before and after each match to review strategy or what went wrong. Larvitar is in the battle more than you are and can pick up on things that you might not."

"Thank you Dr. Ketchum. I will do that."

"Also do not be afraid of learning from your friends or other trainers. Most trainers are friendly enough to teach you the tricks of the trade. But of course, don't ask him to divulge their special secrets!"

"Thank you again. I will be sure to do that," Mike replied.

"I have a question for Akane."

"Yes?"

"Have you decided which evolutionary track you will select for Eevee?"

"After exploring Cerulean City, I have found so many things I want to be including a trainer. I would love to make a Vaporeon to compete in the Pokemon water Olympics or an Umbreon to work at the police department. I just can't make up my mind," Akane wailed.

Dr. Ketchum giggled and said "You don't have to make up your mind right now; I was curious. You still have time but do not wait too long or Eevee's evolved form will miss out on important moves." Akane wiped her forehead in relief. "Enjoy what the world has to offer, explore all the choices. The right direction will open up to you and will be as evident as the noon day sun."

"I wish it wasn't so gosh darn hard. I wish I had all of Eevee's evolved forms." Akane sucked in a huge gulp of air as her eyes enlarged ten fold. "I know what I'll do! I'll become a Pokemon breeder so I can raise as many Eevees as I want and get all their forms. Plus I can hatch the eggs and raise the babies, ooooooohhh!"

"Calm down Akane. Your head is going to pop right off if you keep thinking about all that fuzzy cuteness," Mike spouted off.

"Tread lightly Mike. Think about what you felt like when you were able to achieve your life long dream. That is the feeling Akane is experiencing right now," Dr. Ketchum said acknowledging Akane's glee.

"Yes Dr. Ketchum," Mike solemnly replied.

"Oh sorry kids, I would love to stay on longer but I have an important meeting that I must attend. In fact, I am already behind schedule. Good luck kiddos!" The screen went blank as the famous professor/trainer left their presence.

"Congratulations Akane. I'm glad you found your direction," Mike applauded recognizing the awe struck look in Akane's eyes that he had when Dr. Ketchum told him he would be his sponsor.

"Yeah Go Akane," Isaac congratulated.

"Thanks guys, you're the best," Akane spiritedly said as she squeezed them both.

"Yuck, Akane germs, let me go!" Mike gasped as her bony arms encircled him. Akane smirked and released the boys from their momentary prison. "Shew, I thought I was a goner."

"Oh hush. I can always give you another hug," Akane retorted. Mike backed away in mock fear.

"Hey Isaac, you going to help me or what," Mike stammered as he kept his distance from Akane.

"When you two are done with your fanatical follies, we are also late for our next appointment," Isaac informed his pals.

"He can't keep track of his watch but he can keep track of time," Mike contended as he glanced at the golden rimmed clock hanging high above their heads. The group realized that if they did not hurry, they would most likely miss part of the show. They raced to the rear section of the Pokemon Center, out the back door, across the street, ran south for two blocks, turned west and entered a gargantuan outdoor theater. Already massive lines were spilling out on the sidewalk. Mike rolled his eyes at the utter inconvenience. He hated to wait.

To pass the time, Isaac read out loud the new PokeWorld magazine. Mike had previous read and highlighted his own copy. Instead, he deliberated on how he was going to win his next battle. Maybe he should instruct Larvitar to throw dirt on the opposing Pokemon or save up enough cash to buy a superior suit of armor. Mike knew neither of those stratagems were viable and considered alternatives. Mike replayed each battle and searched for answers. He entertained a variety of methods and recalled hundreds of matches on the Poke Channel. After analyzing and compiling all of the known data, Mike was certain he had his winning...

"Ticket please. Ticket please sir." Mike stumbled back into reality and was caught daydreaming by an annoyed attendant. Mike handed the Snorlaxed sized attendant his ticket and proceeded into the theater.

"Did you have a nice nap," Akane jokingly nudged. "Did you dream of beautiful women in lavish gowns fawning over you?"

"Cut it out Akane. I wasn't sleeping, I was thinking," Mike said not taking the joke too kindly. "I was, never mind. Before we find our seat, let's buy some refreshments." After allocating the necessary nourishment for a 3 hour Pokemon Talent Competition, the lion, the scarecrow and the tin man located their seats. The faded cast of characters were sitting far from the action and had to excessively squint in order to distinguish any level of detail.

"Greeting Ladies, Gentleman and Pokemon," boomed a deep voice over the speakers. "Welcome to the 47th annual Pokemon Talent Competition. Please welcome our distinguished panel of judges. On the left is Bruce McBain who is a senior researcher at Silph Co. In the middle is Yolanda Simmons, a Pokemon choreographer. Finally on the right is Cougar Renko, a philosopher and Pokemon behaviorist. Each judge will rate each trainer and Pokemon on a 10 point scale based on creativity, execution and timing. The winner of the competition will receive 10,000 in cash! Let's get started!" The crowd cheered and whistled as the participants ascended the stairs and upon the stage.

First to perform, was an elderly married couple with a pair of Breloom. The old man and woman stood in the middle of the stage with a large box while their Breloom flanked them on opposite side of the stage. When a classical ballad broached the speakers, the couple withdrew rubber plates which they threw up into the air. The Breloom would knock each plate out of the air in time with the music. It was a fantastic display of stretching arms and methodical dance moves. After the music had ended, the audience clapped their approval of the performance.

Next up on the docket, was a fair skinned man and a Froslass. Two stage hands set up a pair of fire hoses pointing directly at Froslass. On command, water spewed from the hoses at a high velocity. Froslass fended off the water by using Ominous Wind and directed the water spurts in a right angle to jet vertically in the air. Then Froslass orchestrated the water back around to settle in a chaotic whirlwind in front of himself. At specific times, Froslass would freeze parts of the water in place. As more ice built up, it was apparent that Froslass was creating a statue. The crowd hushed in anticipation of what the final creation would be. Soon the feet and legs were frozen into existence; the torso, arms and head quickly followed suit. Froslass had successfully created an ice statue replica of its trainer. The throng wailed to verbalize their appreciation of Froslass's amazing artwork. The noise was blaring but it could not overcome another sound approaching.

A squadron of sleek army helicopters flew overhead at a low altitude. A weird symbol was imprinted on the side of each craft: a black heart with a white equal armed cross in the center of the heart. Noxious green and orange gases wafted down from the helicopters and settled upon the unsuspecting crowd. The throng was stricken with nausea and vertigo as their lungs inhaled the sickening fumes. Eyes blurred as they filled with waterfalls of tears; ears tremored as the spinning blades silenced the panicked cries. Trainers called forth their Pokemon to battle and turn the tide of this vicious attack. Their efforts proved valiant but were in vain. Pokemon were unable to hear their trainer's commands and also fell sick due to malignant gases. Trainers and Pokemon had another problem. Flashes of red beams emanated from the aerial craft catching every Pokemon in their path and returning the creatures to their captors. Even Pokemon within the protection of their Pokeballs succumbed to the attack. Trainers jumped in the way of light but their bravery was not rewarded.

Mike, sensing his Larvitar was in critical danger, snatched Larvitar's ball from his belt and jammed it deep into the recesses of his Pokegear. Mike glanced at his two friends and saw them reeling from the poison. With his last ounce of strength, Mike grabbed their Pokeballs and stuffed them along with his own. With his body unable to rebel against the contaminants, Mike collapsed.


	4. Between a Bed and an Isaac Place

Between a Bed and an Isaac Place

No one would help him. His back was against the cold concrete. Despite the blood dripping into his eyes from the gashes across his forehead, he could see Larvitar sprawled next to him. He could see his precious Pokemon was nonresponsive to his calls. Mike reached up his one good arm to get the attention of the strangers walking by him. No one care to look or venture any aid. He was all alone and going to die. Far from home. No friends near his side. Mike began to sob, and his tears weld up in the back of his throat causing him to cough vehemently. He didn't realize it before but there was a plastic tube jammed in his mouth and down his throat. He fought to pull it out, to regain control, but his body was not his own. The images of passing strangers and Larvitar became distorted; new sounds filled his ears.

"He's crashing. BP 80 over 43."

"250 milligrams of epinephrine. Hold his arms down."

"Yes doctor. He's regaining consciousness. Pulse is steadying."

"Son it's okay. Calm down, calm down. It's going to be alright. Nurse, take the breathing tube out."

He gagged as the thick plastic tube was removed leaving a sterile taste in his mouth. Mike didn't know what was hurting more, the light in his eyes or the fire in his lungs. He blinked multiple times to get a clear view of his surroundings. Bright white walls and a host of people in starched white clothing greeted him. Mike's brain warped around the possibilities that could have resulted in this fresh hell. He vaguely recalled a trainer battle with a dark haired boy about his own age. He won that battle so he didn't get hurt, did he? No wait, he was at the circus and the elephants went wild. No that can't be it either; he had never been to the circus before.

"My name is Nurse Joy. You're in the hospital because you were poisoned. Please try to stay still and let the medicine do its work."

"Wha…what happened?"

"There was….an attack at the arena. You're safe now." His eyes shot wide open; he remembered.

"Where's Larvitar? Larvitar, LARVITAR, come to me!" He screamed frantically. No Pokemon appeared.

"Sh sh sh sh. It's okay Michael."

"It's not okay. They stole her. Where are my friends? Akane and Isaac, I wanna see them now," he viciously responded as he attempted to stand up. His lungs screamed in pain as he gulped in air to feed his muscles. Nurse Joy restrained Mike unnecessarily as he fell back on his pillows in defeat.

"Michael, please understand. You've been injured and need time to heal. Please rest and I will go and check on your friends." Mike turned his head away as a lone tear puddled in the corner of his eye and drifted down his cheek. He heard her muffled steps as she exited the room.

Why? Why did this have to happen? Could no one let him be happy? Only a few weeks into his training and he was met with tragedy. Rage, disappointment, frustration and hopelessness ravaged the poor boy's body as his mind could not comprehend the events that had transpired. He pictured his mother's face for comfort. He imagined what she would be doing at this very instant if she was here: rampaging up and down the halls, begging at the doctors and nurses to provide him better treatment while simultaneously squeezing on him. Mike hoped that she wouldn't see this on the news or his training days would definitely be over.

Eight doors down another person entered the world of the living. Her weak moans beckoned the attention of the charge nurse who promptly checked her vitals.

"Are you okay sweetie?" The girl managed to nod her head which felt like it was going to roll right off her shoulders. The nurse offered a small plastic cup to the patient's lips. The cool wetness was a miracle to the dry and scratchy throat. "There ya go, easy does it. You're one tough lil girl, ya know that?" The girl just glared as there was no way this happy person could know the agony she was in at the moment. "That poisonous gas must have done a number on ya, but it seems that now you're pretty much in the clear. Well just to be on the safe side, I am going to give you one more dose of this anti-venom." The nurse filled a syringe with a murky brown liquid from a small glass vial and then delivered the medication intravenously. "I'll be back soon to check on ya, okay?" The girl sank back in the covers hoping to get back to sleep and away from the pain.

Across the heavy headed girl's room, someone else wasn't so lucky. Despite the anti-venom, breathing treatments, steroids and hormones, the boy was not responding. Machines kept him alive while doctors and administrators searched for answers like who he was or how to contact his next of kin. But what the medical personnel failed to notice was the twitching of his eye lids as his mind was in rigorous activity. Somehow the boy knew he could reach him if he just tried hard enough. On the other side of the continent, in a musty warehouse a green headed creature was trying to do the same.

In times of crisis, they are always called. The Elite Four: Pericles-master of the depths, Vrosa-mistress of the skies, Annanias- lord of the mind, Sinestra- Countess of the earth, and Kier- General. After the mysterious attack on the Cerulean City arena, they were summoned by leaders of the Kanto region to an urgent meeting.

"Sir, in all due respect, we need to gather more sufficient intelligence on this group in order to launch an effective mission," said a red haired lady in full military regalia.

"We need to be swift in our justice so that all evil doers may know that no one gets away with deeds such as these, No One," exclaimed a grey haired gentleman in a tan suit.

"Please, let's leave our emotions at the door and focus on the matter at hand," spoke Kier in a calm but commanding voice. "Captain Setler, what do we know about this group?"

"Thank you Kier," responded the red haired lady. "It seems this group calls themselves Weiss Kreuz Schwarzes Herz or White Cross Black Heart. They are a Pokemon Rights group that formed about 7 years ago. Until yesterday, they have only mailed anti-research propaganda to citizens or conducted civilized protests on government lawns. From the information we were able to gather, they believe that humans have corrupted the natural order of nature and that Pokemon are the true masters of the wild. No known leader or central governing body or headquarters."

"Now what were your recommendations again Governor Proudfoot," Kier questioned the gray haired man.

"We need to find these people and find them now. Lock em up tight in the deepest darkest prison and fill their heads with noxious gas!"

"As much as we despise their actions, we must maintain a level head. I feel as though we are approaching dark times which require both energies from our hearts and our minds," Kier pleaded.

"If I may offer a suggestion Sir," questioned a bulky youth.

"By all means Councilman Skiles."

"It seems to me that there is a discrepancy in what this group believes, what they have historically done and what was supposedly done by them yesterday. It seems unlikely that a group dedicated to the rights of Pokemon would injure a crowd full of people and Pokemon alike. I think our first course of action is to locate and contact any prominent members of White Cross to determine if they are indeed responsible."

"I agree with Councilman Skiles, Kier. Information is our dearest asset at this time considering we do know who is behind the attack or understand the technology that allowed them to abscond with Pokemon and Pokeballs from such a distance. I personally feel that White Cross is being set up and it would be in our best interest to ally with them rather than making them a quick enemy," Vrosa contended.

"I would also like to add that the toxin that was used seems to be a derivative of Pokemon poison. It is unknown which Pokemon but initial results indicate that the toxin was formed from various Pokemon species," Dr. Ashton Ketchum informed.

"Chief Maynard, do you have any information," asked Kier.

"I apologize but we have gathered very little. Most city personnel were assisting with evacuating people from the Cerulean Theatre and transporting them to the hospital. We had to utilize almost everyone on the city payroll. We also do not have the capability to investigate such high tech crimes, so we have called in the Kanto Investigative Bureau who at the site now collecting evidence. Hopefully we'll know more as they proceed in their investigation."

"No apology is necessary Chief. No one could have predicted such devastation," lamented Kier. "So for now, the Elite Four and local police force will join with the KIB. Captain Setler, you will continue with locating intelligence on White Cross and its members. Everyone else is on standby until you hear from me. Thank you."

"Mike, are you awake? Mike, it's me Akane." Mike unwillingly ceased his slumber as he turned toward the well-known but screechy voice.

"Yah, I'm awake. How did you get in here? Shouldn't you be in your own bed? It's 11:11pm."

"Um, they released me a bit ago. Doctors said I was fine." Akane paused before slamming Mike with the news. "Think you can get up? You really need to see Isaac."

"Why, what's wrong with him?"

"Please Mike. You're his best friend. He needs you," she urged with a pressing look on her face.

"Okay, help me up." For the first time, Mike was actually asking for him and relying on someone other than himself. Akane looped her arms underneath Mike's shoulders and eased him out of his mini prison. The pain was harsh, but tolerable. Apparently Akane had the best immune system between the three of them which didn't surprise Mike at all. Mike placed his left arm across her shoulders for support as they lumbered down the hall.

A second first was waiting for Mike as he entered his best friend's room. Isaac was connected to multiple machines all beeping and vibrating to their own rhythms. As Mike gazed upon Isaac's countenance, he realized just how vulnerable Isaac was now. No tricks, or innate abilities or complex maneuvers were going to get Isaac out of this jam. Mike also noticed that for sleeping, Isaac appeared to be vexed. For the life of him, Mike could not figure out why.

"What have the doctors said about his condition?"

"They said he is weak but stable. For some reason, the poison affected him worse than almost anybody else. They have tried several things but he does not get better. I'm sor..sorr…sorry..Mi…" The sobs claimed victory over her thin frail body causing her to crash on a nearby chair. Mike did not know what to say or how to react. He knew it wasn't her fault but yet he felt guilty.

"You can't blame yourself Akane. I do not know why he isn't recovering or why we got hurt in the first place. But in all the years I've known him, he hasn't come across anything he can't beat. I mean, look at him. Don't you think it's weird that his face is all scrunched up like that? It's like, he wants to stay that way." Akane peered up from her misery and stared deep into Isaac's face. She didn't know why, but Mike was right. Akane had the impression that Isaac was thinking really hard about something. But what?

"I recognize that impression Mike."

"You mean expression?"

"You know what I mean. Isn't that what Isaac looked like when we were back at the Pokemon Breeding and Distribution Center?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Remember when Isaac had Ralts come out of his Pokeball for the first time and appear on his head? That was the face he was making when he was talking to Ralts with his mind."

"Um I guess so. But even if that was the case, how can he be thinking if he's unconscious? Doesn't make sense?"

"Does anything about Isaac make sense?" This was another stunning and shocking moment for Mike; Akane was actually right.

"You know, I didn't wanna say it at first but after looking at him, I got the sense that he did not want to wake up. Like he was staying unconscious for a reason, ya know. If he is able to communicate telepathically with Ralts, maybe that's how we can find our missing Pokemon!" Mike felt hopeful for the first time in three days.

"How do we wake him up and ask him what he knows? What if he stays that way too long and never wakes up? What if.."

"Stop!" Mike held up his hand to terminate her dire thoughts. "Isaac knows what he's doing. How he knows what he is doing is still a mystery. We have to let him come back on his own time. So we wait. Here. Together. Fun."

"Sorry, I'm just so worried because the last time I was in…never mind. Hey, this will give us a good time to get to know each other. What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Mine's birthday cake." Mike gave her an annoyed sidelong look. Finally he caved; what else was he going to do?

"Mint chocolate chip. What's your favorite school subject? Mine is science."

"I like art."

"You can draw?"

"Yep of course!"

"Figures." Mike rolled his eyes. "I can't draw, sing, dance, play sports or even open those packages with the childproof seals." Akane giggled hysterically. Good job ol' boy, you got her laughing, Mike mused to himself. "It's your turn."

"Oh…ummmm…what was your favorite childhood toy? My parents got me a stuffed Pichu when I was born and I slept with it for years. Sometimes I still do when I'm sad."

"Good to know. I didn't have many toys growing up. Heh, we're both still growing up. I remember a neighborhood friend had a medieval suit of armor including a sword that I liked to play with."

"You'll always be a fighter Mike. That's why I like you. You never stop at anything you're passionate about." Mike was taken back. Did she just psychoanalyze him? Nahhhh, couldn't be. They're little game was interrupted by a slight knock at the door.

"Hope I am not interrupting anything," a plump nurse said. "I need to check on him for a minute."

"Oh no, we were just killing time. Do you know if the poison is out of his system yet?" Mike asked pleadingly.

"You must be his friend, Michael. Akane told me about you. My name is Nurse Josephine. We ran a series of blood tests and it seems that the anti-venom was successful, but we cannot account for the coma." Akane's eyes dropped to the floor. "We are doing everything we can for him so don't you fret."

"Thank you Nurse Josephine for all that you are doing for him. Is it possible for him to be in a coma but conscious at the same time?" Nurse Josephine appeared puzzled by the question. "Have you run any brain scans to see if anything is going on in there?"

"A coma means that a person is not aware of what's going on around him. Although his vitals are steady, he is not responding to the usual things that would wake a normal person up. So to answer your question, no a brain scan has not been ordered because he has not received any brain damage or injury," Nurse Josephine answered as she studied the machines and wrote down the information in his chart.

"Can you do it anyway? The reason I ask is that we believe Isaac is not actually in a coma." Mike intentionally did not elaborate.

"I can ask Doctor Morrison but the answer will likely be no."

"What if I talk to Doctor Morrison myself? When can I speak to him?"

"I don't see how beneficial that will be but I'll inform the doctor that you wish to conference with him," the nurse responded skeptically.

"Thank you. That would be most appreciated." The nurse finished her duties and departed from their presence. Mike knew that if he could convince the doctor to order a brain scan, they would see that Isaac was doing more than laying in a bed. "You should really get back to your hotel room and get some sleep. Not much more we can do here anyway."

"No way. I am staying here even if I have to sleep on the floor," Akane emphatically stated. Mike sighed and gave Isaac one long last look before he ventured back to his quarters.

The Cerulean theatre was swarmed with agents clad in biohazard uniforms armed with various detectors and high tech instruments. Assistant Director Hasphat Antabolis gazed across stage and over the bleachers. He could imagine the fright as mayhem descended upon them. It was so crowded that they had nowhere to go. This was ground zero. This is where the people lost their innocence. It would never return to normal. Antabolis had been at the site since nearly dawn and thus far, their search had been fruitless. He was about to order his crew to pack it up when a voice buzzed in his ear.

"Sir, we have something. You must see it at once."

"Yes Lieutenant. I'll be there at once." Antabolis marched to the location of his second in command, a lithe woman in her early thirties. Trustworthy and loyal to a fault. Lieutenant Moyer had served him well since he took the position of Assistant Director of the Kanto Investigative Bureau. "What do you have?"

"Sir we have located a backpack that is giving off electromagnetic readings."

"We have detected similar readings in various other locations. Surely you have more than a backpack."

"Sir, the backpack is a Pokegear and the readings are different than the others. Apparently there is a pattern. Specifically what kind of pattern or what it means is still unclear." Antabolis glanced at the instrument being waved over the seemingly ordinary backpack; the needle was bouncing back and forth as if dancing with the light reflecting off the glass.

"Send it to the lab. Have the guys analyze it. It's probably nothing but put a rush on the results," Antabolis ordered. After viewing the scene for one last night, he commanded his crew to withdraw. Now to find the owner of that Pokegear, he ventured to himself.

Despite Isaac's dire condition, things were looking a bit more sunny. Mike wasn't experiencing any more pain and he could breathe without hacking out his lungs. He and Akane were becoming closer friends and the best part was that the cafeteria was kind enough to make him chocolate chip waffles. Mike was keeping up with the latest news on the attack and was interested in knowing how the Elite Four were responding. Apparently they had joined forced with the KIB and were in the process of locating the ones responsible. At this point, per the animated news reporter, the Elite Four nor the KIB had any strong leads.

"Excuse me Mike, may I come in?"

"Dr. Ketchum, of course you can!" Mike exclaimed as he jumped out of bed to greet his supporter.

"How are you feeling," the doc asked. Mike noticed the worry on his brow.

"I am fine. Akane is great. But Isaac is not doing so hot. He has recovered from the poison but has been in a coma-like state."

"I'm sorry to hear that Mike. It must be tough to see your friend like that. I actually came by to tell you all that your personal belongings were recovered from the arena. They are ready for identification and pick up at the Pokemon Research Center."

"That would be great to get our stuff back. Would you mind doing me a favor," Mike questioned.

"Sure. What is it?"

"The doctors here say that Isaac is in a coma which may only be partially true. We think that it's more than a coma. We believe that Isaac is using this coma-like state as a means to communicate with his Ralts telepathically. I know it sounds silly, but would you come and take a look at him?"

"Well I am an expert on Pokemon not humans. If it was anyone other than Isaac, I would pass on the request. Come, let's go see him." The two rushed down the hall to Isaac's room where Akane was sitting in a chair next to the bed talking to him.

"Hello there Akane, glad to see that you made a full recovery but I'm sorry to see that Isaac hasn't pulled through yet," Dr. Ketchum commiserated.

"Yes, thank you Dr. Ketchum for coming. I know it would mean a lot to Isaac," Akane meekly indicated.

"Actually he's coming to look at Isaac to check if we are right or not about his condition," Mike interrupted. Akane appeared surprised but nevertheless, allowed Ashton room to examine him. Dr. Ketchum took his time scrutinizing Isaac, reading the chart and checking various parts of his body.

"For all intents and purposes, it appears that Isaac is indeed in a coma. The part that puzzles me is the energy that emanating off of him. Normally, humans don't produce this type or this much energy," the venerable physician summarized.

"What do you mean? What energy," Akane questioned.

"Typically, humans produce heat as a result of being warm blooded and a small amount of electricity used in our central nervous system. Isaac here is sending out waves of what appears to be psychic energy. I can't prove it but I've been around enough psychic Pokemon to know what it is when I feel it. You two may be right in believing that he is not really in a coma." Mike let out a loud whoop.

"I knew I was right! Is there any way we can actually see what he is doing with that energy?"

"That might prove to be a bit difficult. The machines we have to detect and measure psychic energy are huge and are not transportable. It is highly improbable that his doctor will release him especially to conduct such a radical procedure," Dr. Ketchum pointed out.

"We have to try. Besides, his condition is stable and we'll bring him right back. Can't you use your position to pull some strings or something," Mike exclaimed.

"Sorry Mike. I will not abuse my position or power. We actually do not exactly know the cause of Isaac's condition and therefore cannot recommend any tests or procedures." Mike slumped to the floor. There is always something standing in his way.

"Is there anything you can do," Mike pondered hoping against hope that they could make at least a modicum amount of progress.

"I will report my findings to his doctor and request a temporary transfer to my facility. That's the best I can do for now. In the meantime, you two should reclaim your belongings at the research center. I will return to check on Isaac in a few days."

"Thank you Dr. Ketchum. It's the best we can hope for," Mike lamented.

"Yes thanks for all you do," Akane added. She gave him a big hug. Mike chuckled internally at the misfortunate event. After releasing Ashton from his bonds, Dr. Ketchum shook Mike's hand and left.

"Guess we should follow his advice and get our Pokegears. At least we'll be reclaiming something back," Mike offered to Akane. She hesitated as she did not want to leave Isaac's side for an instant. "We won't be gone long and I doubt he'll wake up anytime soon. Plus you need to get out for a bit. Whacha say?"

"I suppose the fresh air will be nice. Maybe we can go for a walk and get some decent food."

"Anything to get out of this miserable place. Let's roll Cujo!"

The lines at the Pokemon Research Center were anything but comforting. Mike and Akane's spot in line was a block down from the center. Mike sighed in frustration; he should really expect these things more often. Akane ignored his contempt and busied herself reading the signs, studying the people and thinking of her Eevee. Apparently the worry was evident on her face because Mike asked her what was wrong. She faked a smile and told him that it was nothing. Akane couldn't help but fret over her missing furry friend. Where could she be at? How long would they be separated? The apprehension was more than she could bear. She was forced to turn away from Mike so he would not see the tears streaming down her long face. Akane managed to surreptitiously wipe them dry before Mike had a chance to notice. Pull yourself together girl, she thought to herself, this is not the time nor the place.

Mike, on the other hand, was experiencing a different set of emotions, namely frustration and angst. The wait was literally killing him, rotting his interior and festering bulbous pulsating lesions on his soul. If only he had his Pokegear, he could read or play games, but that's what he was waiting here for in the first place. His body roared at the ironic insidiousness of his insipid set of circumstances. Think of something else besides the wait, he told himself. Pokemon, oh how he loves Pokemon. All the many types, features, moves and strategies. What he wouldn't do to battle somebody right now but no Larvitar. ARRGGGHH! He looked at the line. It had moved about 3 places. Double ARGGGGHHHH!

"Mike are you going to have an aneurysm," Akane's voice broke his perpetual downward spiral.

"Um no. Why you ask?"

"Your face was all bunched up. You looked scary," Akane replied.

"Now I am beginning to doubt the value of standing here forever just to get our stuff back. Maybe we should come back first thing in the morning," Mike offered.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea. Besides, the heat is getting to me and I would like some refreshments. I think there's a food mart one or two streets over."

"Brain salad surgery would hurt less than being here. Let's rollout!" The duo found the quaint food mart and gorged themselves. They bought some extra goodies for their hotel rooms and settled down early to prepare for the following day.

"See I told ya that coming first thing in the morning was the way to go," exclaimed Mike as they approached the entrance to the research center. Akane was dragging about 15 feet behind and was still groggy. Mike had woken her up at the crack of dawn; needless to say, she wasn't a happy Pokemon trainer. Mike greeted the receptionist with gusto and inquired where they could pick up their belongings. The receptionist asked for their names and then made a call on the phone. Minutes later a security guard brought a red and a pink Pokegear to the desk.

"Where is Isaac's Pokegear," Mike asked.

"I'm sorry sir but there are two problems. One he is not here in person to pick it up. Second it is not here to pick up," replied the receptionist grimly.

"What do ya mean it's not here? It should have been right next to ours in the arena. And he can't even pick it up; he's still in a coma at the hospital," Mike yelled in exasperation.

"Again I apologize. We did our best to recover all belongings from the theatre and we are sure we did not miss anything," was the empty reply. Mike felt like biting her head off but knew it was of no use; it would ruin the orange juice taste in this mouth.

"Any idea where it might be?"

"Before we could enter, the KBI was decontaminated the theatre so they may have it in their possession," the receptionist indicated with a blank stare behind half rimmed glasses.

"Just great. One more thing to get in our way," Mike barked to the forces binding him.

"Mike, calm down. I am sure we can get it back somehow," Akane cooed hoping to alleviate Mike's anger. "Ma'am, can we make a call using your phone please?"

"Authorized personnel only. It's policy. Who do you need to speak with and I can call them for you."

"Dr. Ashton Ketchum please," Akane replied with a taint of urgency in her tone.

"One moment please." The receptionist dialed the number, waited 5 or 6 rings before someone picked up. "Yes, is Dr. Ketchum available? There are two individuals at the front desk wishing to speak with him. Yes, I'll hold."

"Good Morning Darlene, how can I be of assistance," arose a familiar voice.

"Dr. Ketchum, Michael Masobull and Akana Ga…Gasug…Gasug-amicki here to see you." Akane rolled her eyes at the mispronunciation of her name.

"Please send them to my office Darlene." She made another call and the previous security guard was summoned back to the front desk.

"Escort these two to Dr. Ketchum's office. He is expecting them," Darlene requested. The guard nodded his head at the two teenagers to follow him. He led them down a long hallway off the left side of the reception area. The guard made several turns, through a couple of double doors and into a small foyer. He pointed to an office door at the center of the foyer labeled "Master Pokemon Researcher- Dr. Ashton Ketchum M.D. PhD. Mike bounced through the door which revealed an office the size of a small department store. It was filled with bookcases lined with dozens of books, charts were splattered along the walls, four desks piled high with papers stood along each wall and a multitude of tables covered in various knick knacks, scientific tools and objects the kids could not readily identify. Dr. Ashton was wandering through the maze of madness to greet them.

"Always good to see you two. I apologize for the mess but genius does have its weaknesses."

"I thought Isaac's room took first prize when it came to clutter. Now I hand that prize to you, Dr. Ketchum," Mike retorted. Ashton waved his hand as if denying himself the pleasure of receiving the trophy. Akane previewed the scene with awe and wonder; she bet that his mommy never made him clean his room.

"What brings you here, Mike and Akane?" The owner of the obfuscated office asked. Akane was the first to respond.

"We came here this morning to pick up our things from the arena but Isaac's Pokegear wasn't here."

"Hum, that is strange. I was under the impression that the Parks and Recreations Department had collected all items left behind," muttered Dr. Ketchum as he searched his brain for an answer.

"The receptionist told us that the KBI had been there first. Do you think that they accidentally picked it up by mistake," Mike explored with anticipation.

"I highly doubt the KBI does anything by mistake. If they have it, they took it for good reason. I know the assistant director, a good but by-the-book type person. Pardon me while I make a phone call." The doctor shuffled through some papers on a nearby table until he located the telephone. Mike and Akane waited like kids at a candy store. They could hear from Dr. Ketchum's side of the conversation that he was able to find out the critical, need to know, information.

"So what did you find out," Mike spat out hastily.

"It seems that the KBI did pick up a Pokegear from the Cerulean Theatre belonging to a one Isaac Newtanvil. The assistant director informed me that this particular item was giving off a strange pattern of electromagnetic energy. He was interested in knowing who this Mr. Newtanvil was and why his backpack was emitting such a high level of energy. After explaining to him that Isaac was teenage Pokemon trainer and was currently unavailable for questioning due to a complex medical condition, he agreed to relinquish the Pokegear into my custody after they had completed their analysis," said the doc after his lengthy recollection.

"When do we get it back," Akane ventured knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"The date and time to obtain Isaac's Pokegear has yet to be determined," Dr. Ketchum replied with a low sigh.

"I don't know exactly why, but I think it's really important to get Isaac back his Pokegear. Do you think they would be willing to bring it to the hospital and set it next to him? I know that will have some sort of effect," Mike postulated.

"Given the set of circumstances surrounding the Pokegear, I fear that the KBI will not let it would of their possession especially on the behest of a 14 year old even if they maintained constant line of sight with it," Dr. Ketchum stated as a matter of fact.

"Come on Dr. Ketchum, do something! Beg, plead, bow to them whatever! Let me talk to them, I'll make them understand, Mike argued with fire in his eyes.

"Michael," Ashton spoke with authority. "You need to understand that the KBI, your school and even this research center, has and must follow its own set of rules and guidelines. We cannot control what is outside of us, only inside. I know you're going through a very difficult time: your life was in jeopardy, you lost your Pokemon and now you risk losing your best friend. You think you are nothing and have nothing left but those are tricks of fear, guilt and hopelessness. As soon as you believe them, you have truly lost. Look around you and identify what you genuinely have especially those items that no one can ever take away from you." Mike stood still as the lecture descended upon him. He felt at that moment that he could scream, cry and run away all at once. As Dr. Ketchum's words dug deep in the soil of his heart and mind, he realized that they were true. Mike did have precious things in his life worth holding onto- friendship, love, passion and a dream waiting to be fulfilled.

"I'm so sorry Dr. Ketchum. It's just that nothing ever goes easy for me. I always have problem after problem; it makes me so mad," Mike defended himself.

"It was the same for me Mike. If I would have quit my first day as a Pokemon trainer, I would have never met Pikachu and had the opportunity to make the best friend I've ever had. There were hundreds of times I could have given up, but I kept pressing forward even in those times that seemed the darkest. It is the most difficult hours that define our character," Dr. Ketchum consoled the pubescent wretch. There was an extended period of silence before a quiet feminine tone broke the austerity.

"So what's the plan now? We can't just stand around waiting for something to happen," Akane asserted.

"To quote a much more famous man than myself 'Never never never never give up,'" the master researcher said with a determined tone, "I'm going to call back Mr. Antabolis and tell him all we know in hopes of convincing him to set up a meeting with Isaac and his Pokegear." A thunderous shout was vocalized by Mike and Akane as they received another portion of vivacity. Ashton contacted the assistant director and informed him of all the details. After much consideration and careful persuasion, Antabolis made the deal for 7:00 pm sharp tomorrow night. The gang couldn't have been happier.

As predicted, Hasphat Antabolis arrived at the hospital at 6:59pm with a legion of physicists, biologists, guards and high ranking officials. This was an important meeting that no one wanted to miss. Mike and Akane stood huddled in a corner holding hands in hope as the scientists set up the experiment with their instruments and computers. Dr. Ketchum hoped their efforts wouldn't be in vain. Akane prayed it would work. Mike was certain it would.

"We are all set Sir."

"Commence the operation at once," barked Antabolis. From a black plastic container, an ancient looking scientist withdrew a forest green Pokegear and connected it to a series of detectors. Then the frail scientist set it on Isaac's abdomen and a solemn hush fell over the onlookers.

"See Dr. Ketchum, this was the pattern that we were previously referring to," said the ancient scientist. Ashton viewed the read out, adjusted his glasses and checked it a second time. The Pokegear was giving off a series of psychic impressions. The monitor next to Isaac's head indicated he was giving off his own set of psychic impulses.

"Have you been successful in decoding the message from the Pokegear," the Pokemon specialist questioned.

"With assistance from Annanias, we were able to discern that this is a psychic message for help or distress," the prehistoric scientist relayed. A set of ruffled mumblings spread throughout the room as the officials and other scientists discussed the matter amongst themselves. "Now we need to uncover what message the boy is sending." A sudden crunch was heard. All attention was being directed at Isaac; he had clutched the Pokegear. Immediately, the computers, detectors and instruments went mad with read outs. There were a fury of beeps, whirls, clicks and pops. Every scientist was studying the information, scrutinizing it for meaning.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLTS!" Isaac roared as he sat up in bed. Mike dove at his bestest best friend, knocking aside guards and government officials like a charging Tauros and clutched him close. What room there was left on Isaac's body was consumed by Akane. Everybody in the room stared intently at the scene before them. They couldn't explain what had just occurred or define it by any mortal means other than in one word: miracle.


	5. Train Strain Refrain

Train Strain Refrain

A siren pierced the air setting off an explosive chain reaction. Seconds later, troops clad in full gear raced from the barracks and fell into position according to platoon and rank. Captains and colonels addressed their subordinates with the latest order from the high general. After receiving their instructions, the Kanto Army sprang into action. Sleek & swift helicopters roared to life and received their cargo of hundreds of infantrymen. This was no drill; a full assault had been issued.

Accompanying the army was the Kanto Investigative Bureau and the Elite Four; the high general was not leaving anything to chance. Failure was not an option. Working on a tip from a teenage boy who was recently revived from an extended coma, Annanias had developed a masterful plan with the trainers present at the attack on the Cerulean City Theatre to contact their psychic Pokemon via telepathy to glean information to their whereabouts. The idea proved successful as Annanias and the trainers were able to determine that their Pokemon were at a remote farm south of Celadon City.

The Pokemon Recovery Team soared with the speed of a Pidgeot towards the long anticipated goal. Within the shade of two hours, the team landed in a field a hundred yards from the borders of the farm. The troops covertly marched to the pastures outlining the farm and took up their strategic positions. When the army was in place and all the barrels pointed at the epicenter, the command to storm the farm was delivered.

The infantry barged on the premises searching for the missing companions. It wasn't long before a poorly hidden entrance to a large cave was discovered. Inside hundreds of Pokemon chirped, barked, hollered, shouted, bellowed, screeched and cried out in joy as they were released from their bonds. An expert medical team examined each and every Pokemon for injury or disease. For the most part, the Pokemon were weak from starvation and dehydration; each one was given proper fluids and nutrition before being released to the fields. The army watched with pride as they witnessed the fruits of their labor before searching the rest of the grounds. The exploration revealed a small lab in the farmhouse with a few microscopes, slides, a handful of tubes and beakers. Indentations on the floor signified that some type of heavy medical equipment had been present. Other than that, no other occupants or evidence was found.

The recovery team returned to home base and delivered their findings to the high general. The council was reconvened to review the status of the case. Although they had located and recovered the stolen Pokemon, the council was not much closer to finding the culprit. It was apparent that these criminals knew how to elude the authorities. From interviewing the Pokemon, they learned that their captors had drawn blood from every one of them. The council concluded that some sort of genetic experiments were being conducted. But to what end, they did not have a clue.

The main highway into Cerulean City was abuzz with life and activity as a special parade was underway to honor the return of the lost Pokemon. Gargantuan Pokemon floats hovered above the crowd as a marching band pelted their exuberant tones. People clapped and cheered as the members of the recovery team walked by. Among the loudest were Mike, Larvitar, Isaac, Ralts, Akane and Eevee.

"Isn't this great," Mike clamored as he whistled and waved.

"Oh I just love a parade," exclaimed Akane.

"This is the best one ever," shouted Isaac. Their Pokemon agreed with their trainers with leaps and gleeful cries.

"I'm so glad that everything is back to normal again. I can't wait to resume my training and battling," Mike responded as he squeezed Larvitar again for the hundredth time. "And it's all thanks to you Isaac and your uncanny ability to bend time and space." Isaac's face turned grim as he remembered that dark time when he was separated from Ralts and his feeble attempts to regain contact.

"Thank you Mike. I was just trying to do my part," Isaac humbly replied. Akane wrapped one arm around Eevee and the other around Isaac to pull them together in one joyful embrace. Again, Mike had to giggle to himself at Akane's child-like affections.

"You did more than that Isaac. You were instrumental in getting our Pokemon back plus you received a commemorative award from the Elite Four. That never happens in real life!" Michael responded with excitement.

"Yah, you did something no other beginning trainer has ever done before- helped the Elite Four when they did not even know what to do, " Akane applauded her wanna be boyfriend.

"Ok guys, enough about me," Isaac shrugged off the excessive praise. He never could take a compliment. "Besides, I'm just grateful that I could help people and make them happy again."

"You sure did buddy. Oh look, it's Kier's Dragonite and Hydreigon!" Mike said as he pointed to the skies. Flying at the end of the parade, Salamence and Dragonite held two banners in their claws. Dragonite's message read "Pokemon Forever" and Salamence's stated "Trainers Unite." The trio stared in awe as the constitution of the Elite Four wavered in the wind.

"Too bad everyone does not believe those," Akane lamented as the banners passed them by signifying the end of the parade.

"I do and always will. As long as I can breathe, I will track down those responsible for the attack and make them pay the full price of their action," Mike vowed while clenching his fists.

"Me too," Akane whooped.

"Me three," Isaac joined in with his friends. The troika renewed their commitment to being the best trainers they could be and eliminating all evil towards Pokemon. "Come on, let's go grab some grub before it's all gone. I'm dying for a Pewter Style Hot Dog followed by a raspberry covered funnel cake with whipped cream."

"And I'm craving an orange slushy, sesame chicken and a hot fudge sundae," Mike added.

"Then that means I can get peanut butter roasted pheasant covered in brown gravy with a side of buttery sweet peas. For dessert, I want to get a Decadent Double Doubloon Danish," Akane cried with glee as her mouth watered. The boys peeped at each other upon hearing her odd choices for dinner.

"Sounds gross," Mike uttered as he stuck his finger in his mouth.

"Hush, you don't know what you're missing," Akane retaliated and put her hands on her hips.

"Must be rich people food," Mike said in surrender not wanting to start any sort of fight today. "But where can we go to get all these different kinds of food?"

"Only one place," Isaac answered with a knowing look in his eye. "The Wobbuffet Buffet."

"Woooobbuffet," yelled a nearby Wobbuffet upon hearing its own name. The friends had a good laugh at the cheery Pokemon's timely interruption. Afterwards, they raced to the world famous restaurant known for its exotic menu and cheap prices. Of course the Wobbuffet Buffet was crowded and that meant waiting. No sooner had the fun times ended than Mike's curse reeled its fateful head. He growled at his minor misfortune but one glance at his Larvitar made him easily ignore the painful delay.

"So the whole time you were away Larvitar, I was thinking of different ways we could train, but I couldn't decide without your help," Mike relayed to his ally. Larvitar nodded in agreement. "We can work on your weaknesses, namely your speed and special defense or improve your strengths. What do you want to do?" Larvitar stood and thought for a moment and then flexed her arms and tail while taking an offensive stance. Mike chuckled at his Pokemon's dramatic pose. "Okay, physical offense and defense it is!" Mike patted Larvitar on the head.

"That may not be a bad idea Mikeinious since Larvitar is still inexperienced," Isaac remarked. "Plus I think it will build her confidence."

"I saw a taekwondo center downtown that I want to try out. If we can learn how to endure the attacks from fighting type Pokemon, it would help immensely."

"Hmmm, that would be a tough start. Maybe it would be better if Larvitar trained with Ralts and Eevee to build her strength."

"Guess you're right. I don't wanna be running to the Pokemon Center every hour," Mike agreed.

"Lar Larvitar!"

"Whatever you want Larvitar. This is as much about you as it is me Larvitar," Michael responded bending down on one knee and shaking Larvitar's claw. "Then as you get tougher, we can train with fighting Pokemon and then with Ralts. You'll be unstoppable."

"Keep your voice down Mike, you're disturbing the folks around us," Akane whispered to Mike.

"Oops sorry. I am just so happy to have my Larvitar back so we can begin our training again." Mike's apology was greeted with warm smiles. "How are you gonna train Ralts?"

"Since we apparently have a strong psychic connection, we are going to work on communicating during battles through telepathy alone," Isaac safely assumed.

"Ralts Ralts."

"That will be scary to see a Pokemon battle without the trainer ever issuing a command," Akane observed.

"Hey I wonder if I can do the same with Larvitar somehow. Maybe we can work on our own secret communication," Mike wondered.

"That's a nifty idea Mikeinious but it's not unprecedented. Remember issue number 415 of PokeWorld?"

"Yeah, there was the article on top notch trainer tips and techniques. I recall a trainer named Monique who had her Hariyama use secret signals during a match," Mike replied. "Too bad she did not reveal any more information than that. What do you think Larvitar, is that a good idea?"

"Larvitar tar!"

"No argument there I suppose," Mike concurred.

"Hey you two Pokemon blubber butts get up here and so the waitress can take us to our table," Akane asserted as she ushered the boys to turn on the afterburners. The flat faced waitress took the three to a small table positioned next to one of the main aisles. She took their drink orders and left abruptly to fulfill the desires of their thirst.

"What you planning on doing with Eevee," Isaac questioned continuing the previous conversation.

"To make her as cute as possible," Akane blurted with big glassy eyes.

"Figures, she'd say that," Mike retorted in disgust. "I think Isaac meant as in what kind of training are you going to pursue."

"Since I want to become a Pokemon breeder, I need to learn tons about Pokemon especially about my sweet Eevee."

"Have you decided on Eevee's evolutionary path," asked Isaac as he received his lemonade and iced tea mixture from the server. He took a long sip from the pleasurable combination of sweet & sour.

"I hate being locked into a decision because it might be the wrong one," she fretted before gulping down her diet soda.

"If you were listening to us earlier instead of ogling the menu, you would have realized that you need to consult your Pokemon," Mike insisted as he received his orange slushy.

"Eevee, what do you want to be, a Jolteon, Vaporeon, Leafeon, Glaceon, Flareon, Espeon or Umbreon?" Eevee sat fixed on Akane's blank gaze which seems to go on forever. They both seemed hypnotized by the other as the question lingered on the air like a foul odor.

"Eevee Ee Eevee vee Eevee," informed the adaptable Pokemon.

"You're the best Eevee, what would I do without you," Akane squealed with delight as she squirmed to pick up her darling.

"What did she say Akane," Isaac asked as he informed the waitress of his food order.

"She said that why don't I get another Eevee so they can breed a litter so I can have them all!" The juvenile informed the others in a voice that could have been the equivalent of a supersonic attack.

"Glad you're Pokemon does the thinking for both of you," Mike said hastily before realizing the insult. Akane wasn't even scathed as the idea of multiple Eevee's and their evolutions running around her feet. Mike quickly placed his order with the impatient waitress and then nudged Akane to do the same. "But at some point, you're gonna have to decide what to make this particular Eevee."

"It doesn't matter to me really, as long as Eevee is happy."

"Yes that is what truly matters," Isaac emphasized the belated pointed. "I also have been doing some thinking regarding our future Pokemon acquisition." The other two stopped their sipping and sat still for the insight. "It occurred to me that Ralts is a single type and Larvitar is a double typed Pokemon. What if I only captured single type Pokemon and you got double typed Pokemon? We would have two different approaches to battling and training our Pokemon. You would have extra strengths & weaknesses in regards to types but have more versatility with the attacks your Pokemon could learn. I would obviously have less strengths and weakness but less versatility. My training would be more single focused while yours would be more varied. Just a thought."

"Seems like you want me to have the harder time training and battling while you take the easy path," Mike responded with a harsh undertone.

"Mike, you know that's not my intent at all. With my current proposal, your training wouldn't necessarily be more difficult, just different. You would have to put more thought into the Pokemon you caught so you could have all the types eventually represented without being overlapped. I would have to consider what types not to have on my team. Like I said before, you would have the versatility of attacks so you could surprise your opponent with your choices of attack," Isaac reiterated.

"Not that I can argue with your logic, but it still feels that I would have to work harder to build a good team. You know how the world likes to bully me into their veiled pit traps."

"You're forgetting two important things Michael," Akane piped up. Mike twisted his head to face her and wondered what epiphany she could possibly have. She giggled at his expression.

"You will have your Pokemon for support and Isaac for strategy. You can't lose." Mike quickly covered her mouth when she mentioned his win/loss ratio.

"Akane, never say that! Now I'll never win again." Mike sat back down in defeat.

"Eeep! Sorry! I forgot about your curse. Do I need to say that you're gonna lose every match now?"

"It won't help but thanks anyway. True trainers don't rely on luck, so I gotta quit thinking that way. Like you said, I need to trust my Pokemon and work with Isaac to develop creative strategies."

"Larvitar!"

"You just wait Larvitar, you're going to be a force to be reckoned with," Mike asserted with authority.

"And if you ever need her, Eevee will be there for ya." Akane supported her trainer brethren.

"Of course Ralts will be there in a pinch," Isaac collaborated with the single female component of the group.

"Ralts Ralts!"

"Eevee Eevee!"

"I am so lucky to have friends and Pokemon like you," Mike said overcome with the realization of just how blessed he really was. "First thing tomorrow, we are going to train like there's no tomorrow. But now, let's chow down." As if on cue, the server arrived and placed their sumptuous food choice before their respective owners. The sextet ate the best meal of the past month as the sun departed from their presence behind the landscape saying its nocturnal goodbye.

"Alright Larvitar, do as we practiced okay," Mike instructed as he stood on home side of the battlefield located behind the gym.

"Larvitar tar."

"Commence the tackle frenzy you two!"

"Go Eevee, tackle Larvitar with all your strength!"

"Ralts, growl that Larvitar into submission!"

"Hold your ground Larvitar. Tap into your rock side and resist those attacks!" Larvitar planted her feet into the ground as Eevee charged and slammed into her. Larvitar's muscles bulged as the impact pushed her back a few inches. The growl attack followed behind the tackle and sunk deep in her skin causing a feeling of minor vertigo.

"Don't give in Larvitar, they're coming at you again." The second tackle landed just as Mike's words reached Larvitar's ears. She gritted her teeth as she leaned forward to reduce the effectiveness of the raid. The growl sent shivers through her body but Larvitar was not going to give in just yet. Eevee set up for her third attack and ran towards the mini mountain Pokemon. Ralts opened his small mouth and let loose his strongest growl yet. The two assaults hit Larvitar concurrently reeling the wounded Pokemon.

"You're a rock Larvitar. Nothing can touch you. Think of these attacks as fleas jumping on you." Mike could see that she was having a bit of trouble resisting two attacks at once but his encouragement seemed to enflame Larvitar with determination.

"Eevee, keep pounding Larvitar!"

"Ralts, don't stop until Larvitar drops!" The fourth wave struck Larvitar hard as she continued to build her defense. Five, six, seven attacks later caused the familiar feinted look in Larvitar's eyes.

"Ok guys, call of the onslaught. I think Larvitar's done for a bit. Good job girl, you were amazing." Mike picked up Larvitar and rubbed her head until she came around.

"Wow, she's tough. I did not think she would last that long," Akane remarked as she checked on the victim.

"Fending off attacks in tandem has to be difficult even for a rock type," Isaac observed as he oversaw Larvitar's medical attention.

"She's okay; she's smiling." When you are ready, we are going to do it again. Now it's my turn," Mike said with passion.

"Are you serious," Akane questioned.

"Larvitar will never endure anything that I don't endure as well. I can handle it."

"Good trainers never ask their Pokemon to do anything that they don't do themselves," Isaac lectured as if he was in front of a classroom of newbie trainers.

"You asked for it then. I challenge you Michael Masolbull to a Pokemon battle…..well kinda," Akane dared.

"Let's see how many attacks I can take before I faint."

"We won't go easy on you," Isaac jeered.

"Gimme your best shot," Mike taunted as his friends set up the attack sequence.

"Go Ralts, repeatedly use growl!"

"Charge Eevee and give him your best tackle attacks!" Mike did as Larvitar had done and planted his feet into the ground. The resonance of the growl made his skin tingle; Eevee's landed right in his gut causing him to grunt. She hit harder than I thought she could, Mike thought. Another growl covered his body in goose bumps and made his muscles lose their rigidity resulting in a more successful tackle attack. He wasn't going to give up; Larvitar didn't and neither should he. Back and forth the ambush continued until Mike was knocked on his fanny.

"Ugh. How well did I do?" Mike asked as he held his nauseous stomach.

"I think you did a better of training Larvitar than you did preparing yourself. You overestimated our Pokemon because you are bigger than them," Isaac analyzed while bending over his buddy.

"Five tackles and 6 growls before you fell on your butt," Akane chimed in.

"Dang! Hats off to you Larvitar," Mike congratulated.

"Lar Lar Larvitar!"

"I hear ya pal. Next time, you can prep me for battle," Mike agreed as he stood back up. "Are you two going to battle next?"

"Ralts has enough energy to go another match. What do you say Akane?"

"Eevee can take whatever you dish out. Set em up, and we'll knock them down."

"Okay, I'll referee. Get into positions. Ralts ready, Eevee ready. GO!" Mike shouted bringing his arm down between the two Pokemon signaling the beginning of battle.

"Use confusion to disoriented Eevee."

"Tail whip to counter." Although Eevee flipped her body around and twirled her tail through the air, the confusion attack was able to grip her entire body inflicting continual damage. "Come on Eevee, snap out of it and tackle Ralts." Eevee kept shaking her head vigorously until she fully resisted the confusion. She roared and charged at Ralts with full power.

"Dodge it Ralts and use growl." Ralts performed a swift side step and launched his growl on Eevee's back. Eevee landed on her four paws unscathed from the sneaky counter. She dove again towards Ralts midsection connecting right between his ribs. Ralts squealed in pain and doubled backwards head over feet.

"Get up Ralts, you can do it! Give her another confusion attack," Isaac encouraged his reeling Pokemon.

"Tackle Ralts before he can hurt you again Eevee." She hurdled herself towards Ralts on her stubby legs hoping to end the match here and now. Ralts was able to recover and stand tall in the midst of an oncoming mini train. Eevee was again surrounded by a faint blue line as the psychic energy surrounded her. She kept her legs pumping to close the distance quickly; Eevee felt her core ravaged by the confusion attack as she pummeled into Ralts soft frail frame. For an instant, their energies collided neither one gaining the advantage. The struggle was too much for both Pokemon as their combined power ignited and blew them backwards.

"Are you alright Ralts?" Isaac ran over to check on Ralts's condition.

"Eevee!" Akane yelled as she raced to assess Eevee's status. Mike heard the Pokemon's groans and declared the match a draw. Isaac and Akane clutched their Pokemon close to heal their wounds.

"That was an awesome match! No wonder I lost earlier," Mike clamored. He walked over to his friends and assisted with Pokemon care. "I think we've all earned a break. A nice dip in the pool sounds good to me." Mike wished he hadn't mentioned the pool as he imagined Akane in her two piece.

"Awesome idea Mikeinious! My muscles are aching from our weight lifting context earlier." The pack herded themselves inside the gym and corralled into the showers to wash off any grime. Mike was the first to dive in followed by Isaac. Akane joined them 25 minutes later; Mike winced as she appeared with a mini bikini covered in evolution stones. She imitated a stick figure with floppy brown hair covered in blue patches of cloth. Mike could wait until she jumped in the water, so he could avoid her flawed femininity.

"The water is so refreshing and feels really good," Akane cheered as she dipped her lithe body into the pool. She playfully splashed Isaac who returned her feigned attack with splashes of his own. Mike, on the other hand, floated on top of the water enjoying the relaxation.

"You gonna try it Larvitar?" Mike inquired his hesitant Pokemon who was tip toeing around the edge of the pool. Ralts and Eevee had already dove in and were playing a game of their own.

"Larvitar?" He seemed to question the disturbing liquid's ability for fun.

"I know water doesn't jive with ground/rock types but you can ride on the raft with me," Mike answered Larvitar's doubts. Larvitar remained unconvinced and chose to play with a beach ball instead. "Hey as long as you're having fun, I don't mind."

"I am positive Larvitar won't come into the pool anytime soon," Isaac asserted as he continued his splashing game with Akane. "You are welcome to join us Mike if you wish."

"Nah. I'm content right here." Mike sighed as he closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He could hear Akane's high pitched giggles and Isaac's hefty snickers as they floundered around the pool. His mind drifted away from his current reality to his indulgent imagination. Mike's dream had never changed and he pictured it the same way every time. He was in the center of a large arena surrounded by millions of adoring fans. At his side were his faithful Pokemon celebrating his victory. He held up the first place trophy high in the air announcing to the world that he was a master trainer. The image shattered as a large red ball bounced off his head and landed in the water. "What the…"

"Larvi Larvitar tar," came the apology.

"Eh that's okay Larvitar. I know you didn't do it on purpose." Mike threw the ball back at Larvitar who swatted it with his tail. Mike caught it and chucked the sphere with intensity back towards its owner. Larvitar jumped up and clutched the ball in his jaws happy to interact with his trainer. Mike smiled to himself as he watched Larvitar playfully kick and chase such a simple object. He noticed that the splashes had died down and turned to see what the other goobers were doing. Isaac, Akane, Ralts and Eevee were racing from one end of the pool to the other. In the lead was Akane followed by Isaac. Eevee was nipping at Isaac's feet while Ralts was struggling to propel himself.

"Told ya I was a great swimmer," Akane busted as she reached the finish line first. Mike was amazed that she had any prominent physical abilities at all and then realized her pencil thin body could easily dart through the water.

"I never doubted you for a nanosecond," Isaac replied after he had grabbed onto the edge of the pool to rest. Eevee nuzzled next to Akane when she reached the goal.

"Ralts may need some help Isaac," Akane pointed out as Ralts strained to make any lead way. Isaac ventured forth and ferried the hapless Pokemon.

"Don't be disappointed Ralts. You cannot expect to be accomplished at everything." Isaac comforted Ralts and placed him out of the pool.

"At least your Pokemon will get into the water. Mine won't even attempt it," Mike stated as he swam next to Akane and Isaac.

"What did you expect since Larvitar is a rock/ground type? If she got into the water, she could get hurt or even worse," Akane rashly replied.

"I know that but I just wish she could join us," Mike said. "I bet that there are places that Larvitar can go that Eevee or Ralts can't."

"I imagine tunnels, dark caves or any sort of mountainous area will be Larvitar's specialty," Isaac relayed.

"Then we need to go to those places soon so Larvitar won't feel left out and know that he is better than them in some way," Mike exclaimed.

"We can do that someday and maybe even catch me a tough physical Pokemon," Isaac thoughtfully said.

"And I wouldn't mind testing Eevee's skills against wild Pokemon for a change," Akane added.

"Then when they are strong enough to venture out, we should definitely go," Mike reiterated his earlier statement. They made plans for the following weeks to build their skills as trainers and improve the Pokemon's levels. Eventually, they knew they would have to leave Cerulean City and embark upon their own adventure in the grand world of Pokemon.

After two weeks of hardcore training with Eevee and Ralts, Mike was ready to teach Larvitar new moves to expand her repertoire. They were studying a group of rock/ground/steel Pokemon specialists at a local battleground in order to accomplish this end. The present fight was between a Regirock and a Shieldon. Mike and Larvitar watched the fight intently and evaluated what moves Larvitar could learn from them. The battle was amazing as Shieldon and Regirock were refusing to give in to the other; their trainers were especially adept at showcasing their Pokemon's power.

"Look Larvitar, there's a rock throw. It's a lower level rock type move. I bet you can do that," Mike mentioned as a boulder crashed into the Shieldon's tough facial plate.

"Larvitar Larvi Larvitar!"

"You are definitely strong enough to learn rock throw Larvitar. Think you can figure out how to do it?"

"Larvitar Lar?"

"Watch that Regirock and see how he does it," Mike encouraged as the skirmish continued. Lucky for them, Regirock launched another rock throw by summoning a rock from the ground beneath it and then launching the stone towards its opponent.

"Not too hard right buddy?"

"Lar lar Larvitar!"

"If we can master rock throw today, you'll have 4 moves total including tackle, bite and leer. I would still like to add another one that could help us get the advantage in battle," Mike commented. Despite Regirock's relentlessness, Shieldon was named the victor simply due to the type advantage. The next match was between a Numel and a Marshtomp. "Okay, watch this one close Larvitar because you could see a good ground move." The war was underway as Marshtomp quickly tried to end the fight quickly with its water attacks. The Numel was ready for such an advance and initiated the proper defense sequence.

"That's a magnitude attack. I know Larvitar don't normally learn magnitude but do you think you can?" The blank stare in Larvitar's eyes informed Mike that the answer was a definitive no, at least for now. The conflict was ongoing with a fury of fire and water; neither was gaining any real advantage until the Marshtomp began using a quirky combination of mud slap and water gun. The Numel was no match versus both its weaknesses and soon feinted.

"Mud slap would be a great move to have in our arsenal and it looks easy to learn," Mike said. Larvitar nodded her head in agreement. "Time to practice them both." The trainers finished their matches, so Mike & Larvitar went to the center of the battleground. "Okay Larvitar, reach deep into yourself and show me a rock throw attack!"

"Laaarvitar!" Nothing.

"Try it again. Summon the rock to your hand and then throw it at me as hard as you can."

Lllllaaaaaarvitar!" A minor quake shook the ground beneath Larvitar's feet but nothing else happened.

"Keep at it Larvitar, I know you can do it." Larvitar took a deep breath and then exhaled with force as it tried to conjure a stone from deep within the earth. Again the ground rumbled but no rock appeared.

"Larvitar," she sighed flatly.

"We're not giving up Larvitar. Maybe we need to approach this problem from a different direction. It seems that the way that Regirock did rock throw is not the same as you should do it, what do you think?"

"Tar Larvi Lar Larvitar tar," she explained her point of view.

"I see what you mean. Guess you'll need to figure it out for yourself. We'll work on it later. Ready for mud slap?" Larvitar flexed her muscles to show her eagerness.

"That Marshtomp kicked the dirt up from the ground for its mud slap. You do the same." Larvitar dug her clawed foot into the earth and managed to flick a few grains of sand. "Put some force behind it Larvitar. You are the master of all you stand on." Larvitar tried several more times before she was able to create a decent mud slap.

"You're getting pretty good at mud slap Larvitar. Let's try to destroy that pillar there," Mike urged and pointed to a small outcrop of brown stone a few feet away. Larvitar summoned her inner most self and began to furiously kick at the ground in hopes of whittling away at her target. The boulder stood firm and lost only a few chips, but Larvitar was not swayed from her task. After pounding the pillar for 10 minutes straight, Larvitar was exhausted.

"Looks like you need a break. You've done an impeccable job today; I'm so proud of you." Mike praised and gave her well-deserved affections. He returned Larvitar to her Pokeball to restore her energy and decided to check on Isaac's progress. Mike picked up the Pokephone and speed dialed his counterpart.

"Hey where you at, what ya doing?"

"I'm at a psychic training facility learning how to improve by telepathy with Ralts," Isaac replied with the usual enthusiasm in his voice.

"That's swell. Larvitar figured out how to use mud slap. She amazes me at times," Mike boasted.

"After we master telepathy, our next step will be to learn a few moves of our own. Sadly, that won't be today. Just meditation and dead silence."

"Sounds boring as watching Shuckle crawl."

"I know but it's great practice and develops a strong bond between us," Isaac replied.

"I think me and Larvitar are done for the day. Got time to have some fun tonight?"

"Of course!"

"Sweet. Let's go and check out that laser tag place on Magby Road. I heard some other trainers talking about it earlier. They have multiple layouts including a maze, jungle and intergalactic ruins," Mike informed as he headed back towards his hotel.

"Meet you there around 6 or 6:30?"

"Ok I'll see you there around 8:00." Mike knew that Isaac never arrived on time for anything including his own birthday parties.

"Ralts will remind me plus I set the alarm clock on my Pokegear."

"Most people would just remember," Mike teased his time deficient friend.

"Next session is starting, gotta go!" Before Mike could say good bye, the dial tone buzzed through the receiver. Isaac always managed to avoid talking about his deficits. Mike shrugged his shoulders and opened the door to his hotel room. Maybe he'd get in a quick nap before heading out into the city again.

The mid afternoon sun found Akane submerged in the chaos of the largest clearance sale in Cerulean City. She may be wealthy but that doesn't mean a girl can't learn to economically expand her wardrobe. Akane pranced around the aisles of LJ's Boutiques and digging through various caches of pocketbooks, blouses, jewelry, perfume, shoes, gadgets and lotion.

"Eevee, you would look adorable wearing this," Akane squealed as she placed an over-sized straw hat on Eevee's head. Eevee checked herself out in a nearby mirror and then tossed the hat back on the rack with a mighty jump and quick flick of her head.

"Guess you did not like that either." Akane was getting a little perturbed at her Pokemon's picky taste in clothes. She had selected over 125 items for Eevee and none had suited her. "We'll never find anything cute for you to wear if you keep rejecting everything I pick out for you."

"Ee Eevee!" Her eyes flashed with anger.

"Then you go find you something that meets your high standards and I'll just look for stuff for me," Akane retorted in disgust. She resumed her pilferage of the low priced merchandise and her bouncy mood rapidly returned. Akane was admiring a pair of stud topaz earrings when she observed a familiar figure walk in front of her, not even 30 feet away. She gasped and ducked behind the counter. It couldn't be him, she thought to herself, no possible way. Akane peered above the glass to get a second look at the bulky behemoth. The fiery red hair, the condescending tone and the egotistical stance was unmistakable. Milton Bunkley the eighth was the heir to the Bunkley Enterprises and longtime rival of the Gasuganomichi Company.

Akane could tolerate most people and her mom taught her to love her enemies which she did without complaint but Milton was the exception to every rule. Bunkley Enterprises practiced every shady and unfair practice in the black book of scandals, and somehow, they never got caught. She watched him like a Pidgey stalks its early morning worm trying to figure out what in the nine blazes he was doing in Cerulean City.

Milton was talking to another male teenager with similar build and high class dress. They appeared to be associates or friends from the way they were talking. Akane's oversized ears picked up their conversation about Pokemon breeding. POKEMON BREEDING, she thought to herself, no way this chump was a breeder. Sure enough, she spotted a pair of Pokeballs on his waist.

"There's no way a worm like you is a Pokemon breeder," Akane shouted as she charged at her nemesis.

"Well lookey here Franklin at the stray," Milton teased. Akane got right between the two boys and stuck her finger right in Milton's face.

"I am and will always be better than a disgusting low life bottom feeder like you," Akane spouted off shaking her finger at each insult. Milton took a few steps back.

"Don't worry Milton, the bark is worse than its bite although with breath like that, you don't need to bite," Milton laughed hysterically along with Franklin. Akane was not going to be denied. She kept pressing her advance.

"What kind of scam are you running today Milton? Gonna set up a stand claiming you can change lead into gold? Or maybe a cream that makes Pokemon run faster?" Akane glared right into his devilish green eyes.

"Uh Milton, looks like you need a doggie treat," Franklin said in a goofy tone.

"Sorry fresh out there girl. Why don't you go dig through some garbage cans or chase some cats," Milton replied coyly.

"Whatever it is, I am watching you. Don't think for an instant you're gonna get away with it!"

"But I'm not doing anything," Milton declared as he set his hands on his hips.

"Yeah we ain't doing anything," Franklin added.

"Don't act all innocent. I know all your moves and your cheap lies and oh you just make me so mad thinking about it," Akane retorted nearly blowing steam out of her ears. Milton kept up his annoying laugh that resembled a Pignite choking on a rubber ball.

"Well I am a Pokemon breeder and just how many competitions have you won," Milton taunted. Akane backed off not sure of herself at this point.

"Um, I just got started like 2 months ago," she mumbled. Milton whipped out a small silver case and opened it up right in front of Akane's eyes. She saw 4 golden buttons each etched with a date and location.

"As always, you're way behind. Stop now before the big dogs runs you out of the ally," Milton taunted keeping up the earlier allusion. "If your dad is as slow as you, no wonder Bunkley Enterprises is ahead of the Gasubarfomichi Corporation." The last line tore Akane up inside; she balled up her fist and prepared to strike first blood. Her mother's voice in the back of her head stopped her from making a crucial mistake.

"At least we don't cheat and steal and bribe. That's the only way you win. You can't do it on your own and you know it. I will beat you one of these days fair and square and then I'm gonna expose you all to the world, you just wait Milton Bunkley, you're in my sights." With that, she spun on her heel and marched off.

"Little doggie with tail between her legs hyuck hyuck hyuck," Franklin jeered while chuckling.

"Just stay out of my way twit or you'll regret it," Milton threatened. "Come on Franklin, we got better things to do than hang out trash." The chubby pair wobbled their way down an aisle, turned a corner and was out of sight.

"I can't believe that toad is a breeder," Akane said to herself. "I hope I never see that weasel again or I'm gonna have Eevee to knock his teeth out. Eevee? EEEEvee? Where did you go?" Akane glanced around the immediate area before spotting Eevee rummaging through a box of scarfs. Eevee resurfaced with a purple and yellow satin sash.

"Eevee Eevee," she cooed.

"Did you finally find something you like?" Eevee bounced up and down showing her delight. "$14.99. At least you got my checking account in mind." Akane grabbed her bags and an armful of clothes to the check-out counter. After a long day of shopping and encountering her mortal enemy, Akane was longing for a bubble bath and hot meal.

Isaac picked up the morning paper to read the latest news. The Unova region was experiencing drought. The rock bang, Hexes and Curses were playing at the Hearthome City Auditorium. The Pokemon Research Lab at Nimbasa City had published an article explaining exactly why certain attacks are effective against specific Pokemon types. Isaac's eyebrows rose in interest at that last headline. He pulled out the laptop from his Pokegear and found the briefing.

"Genetically speaking, each Pokemon type is predisposed to be strong, neutral or weak versus the other types. It makes logical sense that some types, such as water, are effective against fire type Pokemon. On the other hand, it is unclear why psychic types are in conflict with bug types. The first part of the answer lies within a Pokemon's DNA. For example, if a Pokemon is an ice type, it has ice type DNA which determines how that Pokemon will function, behave and interact with attacks. If you compared ice DNA with one of its oppositions, say rock type DNA, the two are different at every step of the genetic ladder. Sometimes these variances are minor, other times they are total opposites.

To demonstrate how genetics plays a role in type advantages, we developed a single strand of protein that we could modify with DNA of any Pokemon type. We placed two strands of protein next to each other consisting of opposed type DNA. The protein with the dominant type, rock in the above illustration, utterly destroyed the ice protein within a matter of minutes. Although these proteins were not using the standard Pokemon attacks, it was clear that the difference in the survivability of each protein was directly related to its DNA. After further analysis of the interactions between opposed proteins, we discovered that a simple touch was enough to cause a chemical reaction and subsequent damage. We conclude that a Pokemon's DNA is a prominent factor in determining its susceptibility or strength in regards to type and that more research needs to be conducted."

Isaac yearned for more in depth information on the subject but it was seriously lacking on the World Wide Web. He chewed on the recent mental input and digested it in the stomach of his brain. Isaac knew there was a secret recipe hidden among the science, but he didn't quite know the exact ingredients, measurements or preparation methods. He mulled over the data while munching on his breakfast before Ralts mentally reminded him of his appointment. After completing his morning routine, Isaac bounded out the door with his Pokemon in tow.

After walking long enough to hatch an egg, Isaac arrived at his destination. The edifice before him was octagonal in shape and decorated with Pokemon carvings on all of its eight walls spanning the height of eight stories. To Isaac, it was the grandest structure in the city; the Cerulean City Library was jammed with books on any subject ranging from Aardvark to Zeppelin. Before entering, Isaac read an inscription on a sign arching over the walkway.

"To my dearest Misty, this symbol will stand forever signifying the love that we shared." Isaac stood in silence as the words sunk deep into his soul. He knew the history of this library. It was sponsored and built by none other than Ashton Ketchum himself for his one true love, Misty, former Gym Leader of the Cerulean City Gym after she had tragically died in a scuba diving incident. He let the sadness linger as he picked up his feet to move inside the awe-inspiring structure.

Isaac sat down in a padded chair in a large auditorium deep inside the library. It was already almost filled to capacity even though the presentation would not begin for another half an hour. This allowed time for Isaac to prepare. He pulled out a tape recorder, a large notebook filled with various scribbles, charts and sticky notes, a 20 ounce bottle of lime flavored energy drink, a package of sugar cookies and a small table. No one could ever say that Isaac never came prepared; if only he could remember to do so. Ralts perched himself on his master's shoulder for the time being intently watching him rummaging around his backpack for his favorite item.

"Aha, there it is Ralts. I found it," Isaac exclaimed as he pulled out a large red die with black numbers ranging from 1-100. He never left home without his lucky one hundred sided die.

"Ralts?"

"This die was a Christmas present from my grandma before she passed away. She knew how much I loved board games, so she got it for me," Isaac responded to Ralts's questioning look. "I've must have rolled it a billion times since I got it, mostly to help me make small decisions." Ralts nudged closer to Isaac to provide modicum amount of comfort. "That's okay Ralts, I'm fine." He rubbed Ralts head sharing the affection.

"Please make way to your seats folks as our presentation is about to begin," announced a bristly voice from the stage. "Please turn off all cell phones, pagers or any other device. We strongly request that you remain as quiet as possible during the session. We will have a break at 11:30 for lunch and then will resume promptly at 12:30, thank you." The lanky announcer said before hustling off stage.

"I can't wait for this to start Ralts. I've been waiting all week to hear one of Dr. Gary Oak's famous presentations especially this one on evolution," Isaac churned in his seat as the anticipation became too much to handle.

"Ra Ra Ralts!"

"You could learn something important too Ralts so don't miss a word!" Isaac clutched his Pokemon in his arms and arranged Ralts comfortably in his lap. Before long, the esteemed Dr. Oak entered the stage. Everyone in the auditorium stood upright and clapped whole heartedly filling the room with a deafening roar. Dr. Oak gestured for his fans to sit down and to cease their outward admiration which was mildly successful at first but eventually the crowd obeyed and quieted down.

"Thank you ladies and gentlemen, that was most appreciated," Gary spurted out after the last whistle sang through the air. "You are most kind. Again thank you for being here. It warms my soul to see so many Pokemon enthusiasts here today." The last phrase elicited another round of cheering and applause. "For us to get through all the information I have today, please keep those to till the end."

Isaac, with notepad in hand and tape recorder on, sat at attention as Dr. Oak began his lecture on Pokemon evolution. He started the speech with definitions on the various types of evolution. Experience evolution is when a Pokemon receives enough training to reach a certain level. An item evolution requires a specific item such as a stone. The trainer/Pokemon bond evolution requires that the Pokemon have a strong trust in their trainer. A solar/lunar evolution needs to occur at a particular time of day, this does not require a certain level of trust as previously thought. An ability evolution occurs when a Pokemon meets certain stat prerequisites such as having a high defense. Location evolution is when a Pokemon must be in a certain geographical spot in order to evolve. Choice evolution, formerly known as personality value evolution, is when a Pokemon has the conscious choice to follow two or more branches of evolution; non-evolution also falls into this category which is when a Pokemon refuses to evolve into the next stage or cannot evolve. Next is gender based evolution in which a Pokemon must be male or female to evolve. Lastly, there is poly evolution which is any combination of the ones listed above.

"Now please note that in all of the evolution types, non-evolution is always a possibility. A Pokemon always has the right to choose if it is going to evolve and when. My team has conducted extensive field research and experiments to verify that it is the Pokemon's right and conscious choice to evolve. For instance, we did an experiment on a group of Pokemon that use items to evolve such as Pikachu, Happiny and Lombre to find out what factors play a role in their evolution besides the items themselves. We performed various psychological tests to ascertain which ones had a high satisfaction with their current evolutionary stage. The Pokemon with a high level of satisfaction were informed of how they could evolve to the next stage using a particular item and then we asked if they wanted to evolve now. The Pokemon that said absolutely not were requested to touch their appropriate evolutionary item. The results showed that Pokemon who are happy with themselves and who did not want to evolve could not be affected by their evolutionary items. The Pokemon, who wanted to evolve but chose not to when they touched their item, did not evolve either. Pokemon, who were not satisfied with their evolutionary stage but made the choice not to evolve when they touched their item, did not evolve either. In any case, it simply comes down to a Pokemon's willingness to evolve at the particular moment that evolution could happen."

Isaac was impressed at the doctor's ability to cut through the main stream assumptions and find the cold hard truth. He hoped that the famous Oak would venture further into the mystery and astonish the audience with more Eurekas. He was not disappointed in the least.

Gary further explained on a biological, chemical and physical level how each type of evolution occurs. Dr. Oak revealed that experience evolution was similar to puberty in humans but on a more rapid scale. Experience evolution was little more than rampant growth caused by hormones after the Pokemon had reached a certain age or experience level or both. Items that initiate evolution act like catalysts using various methods such as radiation, chemical reactions or accomplishment. Fire, water, thunder, sun and moon stones give off their own particular kind of radiation that triggers the evolution while dawn, dusk and shiny stones set off a chemical reaction in the Pokemon's skin. For Slowpoke, finding and retrieving a King's Rock is seen as a rite of passage. The King's Rock is considered a prize for the Slowpoke and who is able to get it first, is the one who evolves to a Slowking. The King's Rock by itself does not cause the evolution; it is merely an item of extreme worth.

"Now there has been much debate on the trainer & Pokemon bond as a classification of evolution. Some experts claim that it is nothing more than experience evolution with a twist. Again, we have confirmed that a relationship is required for these evolutions, the trainer and Pokemon bond being the most common. This type of evolution is an outward expression of love to the person that the Pokemon is attached to. We conducted multiple experiments on Pokemon that evolve using a relationship. What we found is that these Pokemon can only evolve if they have a strong reciprocal bond with someone else over a period of time, even if that relationship is with another Pokemon. If they do not have or form a good connection with another creature, then they are unable to evolve, period. We are still unsure on the exact biological mechanism behind relationship evolutions, so further research needs to be done."

Isaac couldn't get enough of the smorgasbord of technical information that was being bestowed upon him. He was lapping it up like a dehydrated dog. The next section would almost overheat his already loaded synapses. Gary Oak began describing solar and lunar evolution. He noted that some Pokemon have an affinity to either the moon or the sun and are likewise nocturnal or diurnal. It seems logical that Pokemon with a strong attachment with the sun or moon would have an evolutionary track connected to them. The obvious examples would be Sneasel or Budew as they require night and day respectively to thrive and develop. Dr. Oak indicated that other Pokemon researchers believe solar/lunar evolution is another subdivision of experience evolution as it cannot be fully proven or disproven. Gary explained that any experiment to investigate this matter would require depriving Pokemon of either sun or moon light. This would cause great harm to the Pokemon and would be unethical. But it is possible to infer such information. The doctor revealed that his team observed Pokemon that utilize the sun or moon to evolve in their natural habitat and counted the number of times they evolved during the day or night. So far, they have yet to see a Sneasel evolving during the day or a Budew evolve at night. His team also questioned hundreds of trainers in regards to what time of day their Pokemon evolved. They have not found one Espeon evolving at night or an Umbreon evolving in the day. This evidence would strongly support the fact that solar/lunar is a distinct branch of evolution.

"Oh I am terribly sorry my friends but it seems I have yammered on way past lunch time. It is almost noon so let's take an hour to eat and come back at one o'clock," instructed the prestigious presenter.

Isaac did not want Dr. Oak to stop but his bladder demanded that he take full advantage of the 60 minute window. He hurried to the restrooms and emptied the two gallons of waste material. Isaac took time to stretch his legs; he didn't realize how tensed up his muscles were. He hurried to find a suitable lunch at the full buffet at the top floor of the library. Isaac filled his plate high with goodies such as sweet & sour chicken, couscous, jambalaya rice, California blend vegetables and dill bread. Ralts and Isaac shared in the feast and enjoyed the sky high view of the city. Isaac called Mike and informed him of all he had learned that day of Pokemon types and evolution. Mike of course hung onto every syllable as he mindlessly flipped through the channels. When Isaac was excited about something, Mike knew he would never get a word in edge wise so he let his friend talk away. Isaac abruptly ended the one sided conversation as his Pokegear told him it was almost time to go. Like a Pokemon returning to its Pokeball, Isaac zapped back to his seat and resumed the position.

Gary continued his presentation by starting with ability evolution. He illuminated that ability evolution is harder to research because there is not an instrument that can accurately measure a Pokemon's attack skill or defense against special attacks. Dr. Oak clarified that an experienced trainer would know his Pokemon's abilities and therefore glean what evolutionary branch his Pokemon would take. This of course only refers to Tyrogue but the doctor was certain that more Pokemon would be found that follow this type of evolution.

"It is not fully understood why some Pokemon need a specific location to evolve. Some researchers believe that these locations have a concentrated amount of energy that is somehow necessary for the evolution. Others speculate that there are large quantities of evolutionary stones in the ground that haven't been discovered yet. I personally believe in the latter because we have been able to use leaf stones to get a Leafeon although it takes about 5 of them at a time. Sadly, no one has found an ice or magnet stone yet. We are currently petitioning the Unovian Council for the rights to excavate places like Pinwheel Forest but are having little success as the council does not want to anyone to disturb these areas.

I think the last topic we need to go over is gender evolution. When we learned many years ago that the male and female versions of Nidoran were actually two different Pokemon, we soon figured out that most Pokemon are either male or female. Nidoran is the only Pokemon that has a different physical appearance based on gender and one of the few that has an evolutionary branch or track solely based on gender. Now you may ask why this is so, well I'll tell you. It is because of us. Yes humans are to the reason. We have known about Nidoran for generations and they can be found almost everywhere. Humans began befriending them hundreds of years ago for pets, companions or guards probably long before we did any other Pokemon. Since we like to stereotype things as either masculine or feminine, we allowed our boys to have the male Nidoran and the girls to have the female Nidoran. Over time, this separation of the Nidoran set in motion a series of changes in them. The male Nidoran developed a broader and stronger body with a prominent horn on its head while the female Nidoran became slimmer and more docile. We are uncertain what the Nidoran originally looked like but we can assume it is a combination of the two. There you go folks, all there is to currently know about Pokemon evolution in one afternoon. Thank you." Doctor Gary Oak humbly bowed before the audience as they praised their Pokemon leader with whoops, cheers and pleas for more.

"I guess I have a small amount of time for some Q & A before I have to leave for Olivine City. Who wants to go first? You there in the pink shawl, what's your question?" Dr. Oak pointed to a rotund woman dressed to the hilt in fine jewelry.

"Yes thank you Dr. Oak," she said in a prim and proper voice. "I noticed that you did not mention evolution which requires Pokemon to learn attack such as Ancient Power."

"It was previously thought that Pokemon such as Piloswine evolve to Mamoswine only after they learned Ancient Power; this is a myth. It has been determined that they evolve from gaining experience like most Pokemon do. Next question. You there in the top coat and top hat."

"You mentioned Eevee earlier in your lecture. Is your group researching other possible ways to make Eevee evolve into new types of Pokemon," asked a man with a heavy accent.

"No we are not conducting such research at this time but that may become a focus if a new stone is discovered or another method of evolution. I got time for one more question. You there with both arms waving in the air." Gary pointed at a young girl in the middle of the throng.

"I love you Doctor Oak," the girl screamed. Her mom softly nudged her to calm down. "I wanna know why you love Pokemon so much?"

"Well that's an easy question my dear. It is because Pokemon are so wonderful, cute, fascinating, and breath-taking. Pokemon have been my friends since I was even younger than you. I still have my first Pokemon, a Blastoise now, that I share every day with," Gary replied with fondness in his voice. "Sorry that is all the time I have. I must catch my plane to Olivine City soon. Thank you all so much for coming and enjoying my presentation." The audience stood on their feet to say a very loud "you're welcome."

Isaac desperately wished he could meet his hero; he almost rushed the stage so he could be next to the man he admired so much. It took the power of confusion and the reserves of his self-restraint to avoid his teenage impulses. But he was disappointed that Dr. Oak didn't call upon him nor did he have any other opportunity to meet him in person. Isaac lowered his head as he gathered his belongings and forced his way into the congested lobby. Despite the brief melancholy, he did get in line to buy Gary's newest book on improving human and Pokemon relationships. Afterwards, Isaac made the long journey home and recapped all the glorious news he had witnessed. Despite not being able to shake hands with a top Pokemon expert, Isaac was a happy trainer indeed.


End file.
